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S.Grant  Oliphant 


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822  01097  9987 


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QUEER    QUESTIONS 


READY   REPLIES. 


A.  COLLECTION  OF  FOUR  HUNDRED  QUESTIONS  IN  HISTORY,  GEOGRAPHY, 

BIOGRAPHY,   MYTHOLOGY,    PHILOSOPHY,   NATURAL   HISTORY, 

SCIENCE,    PHLLOLOGY,   ETC.,   ETC.,   WITH 

THEIR  ANSWERS. 


S.   GRANT  OLIPHANT. 


'goxxxtU   ^jaitimx. 


BOSTON: 

NEW  ENGLAND  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 
1886. 


Copyright,  1886, 
BY  NEW  ENGLAND  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


TO 

CARRIE  G.  NORRIS 

?Hia  WORK  13  GRATBTXTLLT  IN8CRIB»© 
BY  THS  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


The  design  of  this  little  work  is  to  off er,  in  a  conven- 
ient form,  to  the  reading  public  of  the  country,  much 
quaint  and  curious  as  well  as  interesting  and  instructive 
information  in  history,  geography,  biography,  philoso- 
phy, science,  philology,  etc.,  to  correct  several  popular 
fallacies,  to  promote  accurate  scholarship,  and  to  tender 
an  explanation  of  many  expressions  which  occur  in  daily 
conversation. 

Considerable  time  and  pains  have  been  given  to  the 
selection  of  the  matter  herein  contained,  and  to  the  veri- 
fication of  the  same.  Care  has  been  taken  that  no  state- 
ment should  be  made  which  cannot  be  supported  by  good 
authority. 

The  information  covered  by  the  questions  and  answers 
is  not  generally  known,  even  by  intelligent  and  educated 
readers,  and  much  of  it  has  never  before  been  published 
in  a  form  accessible  to  the  great  mass  of  readers. 

With  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  an  acceptable  and 
ready  help  to  all  intelligent  readers,  the  author  submits  it 
to  an  appreciative  and  critical  public. 

S.  G.  O. 

WOODSTOWN,    N.   J. 


CONTENTS. 


A 

PAGE 

Acting  Vice-Presidents  of  the  United  States 159 

Adam's  beard 93 

African  capital  named  from  a  United  States  President 76 

Albany  Regency,  The 95 

Alien  and  Sedition  Laws,  The ; , 119 

Amber 3 

American  Fabius,  The 109 

American  Pathfinder,  The 146 

American  Pope  of  Rome,  The 30 

Ancient  account  for  the  origin  of  amber 4 

Ancient  city  that  perished  through  silence 5 

Ancient  Mariner,  The 65 

Ancient  name  of  the  ring-finger 22 

Animal  noted  for  its  large  tail 72 

Antartic  Continent  discovered 38 

Auld  Reekie 134 

Author  of  "Curfew  must  not  ring  To-night" 59 

Author  of  "  Greenbacks  " 89 

Author  of  thsname  America 21 


B 

Balm  of  Gilead 126 

Banshee 66 

Battle  fought- above  the  clouds 89 

Battle  of  Herrings,  The 137 

Battle  of  Spurs,  The 133 

Beautiful  Parricide,  The 23 

Beautiful  Rope-maker,  The 165 

Bible  of  the  Greeks,  The 151 

Bird  with  neither  tail  nor  wings ..., 6 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Birthplace  of  two  Presidents 40 

Black  Hole  of  Calcutta 136 

Blackjack 136 

Blue  Hen  State,  The 88 

Blue-Noses,  The 163 

Boundary  between  United  States  and  Canada 14 

Bravest  of  the  brave.  The 33 

Breeches  Bible,  The 130 

Bridge  of  Sighs,  The 145 

Brightest  star  visible 62 

Bug  Bible,  The 104 

Burial  place  of  Columbus 102 

Burial  place  of  our  Presidents i 105 


c 

Causes  of  the  American  Revolution 116 

Causes  of  the  Civil  War 119 

Cave  of  the  winds 40 

Celluloid 104 

Chains  of  Columbus 176 

Children  of  Colambus 101 

Christ  of  India,  The 50 

Cities  without  elections 28 

City  destroyed  by  an  ill-timed  jest 125 

City  of  Elms,  The 43 

City  of  Magnificent  Distances,  The 134 

City  of  Oaks,  The 167 

City  of  the  Red  Staff,  The 28 

City  where  burials  are  made  above  ground 141 

Colony  founded  as  a  home  for  the  poor 91 

Color  and  portrait  of  our  postage-stamps 40 

Colossus  of  American  Independence,  The 91 

Columbus's  line  extinct 101 

Confederate  candle 80 

Copperheads,  The 171 

Country  in  which  grass  grows  upon  trees 145 

Country  in  which  prayers  are  said  by  wheels 95 

Country  in  which  the  clergymen  are  blacksmiths 25 

Cousin  Michael 13^ 


CONTENTS. 


D 

PAGE 

Dark  day,  The 142 

Day  of  Barricades,  The 143 

Day  of  Corn-sacks,  The IVO 

Defects  of  the  Confederation 118 

Deliverer  of  Washington's  funeral  oration 76 

Derivation  of  Alaska 122 

Derivation  of  Canada 124 

Derivation  of  magnet 100 

Devil's  Wall,  The 81 

Deviser  of  our  decimal  coinage 107 

Diamond  necklace  affair 23 

Discovery  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 82 

Dynamite 99 

E 

Easter 25 

Eight  motions  of  the  earth 172 

El  Dorado 144 

Election  on  which  the  price  of  flour  depended 77 

Explorer  of  the  Mississippi  with  La  Salle 64 

Explorer  who  drove  a  herd  of  hogs  before  him 72 

F 

Famous  men  killed  by  lice 168 

Father  of  Ridicule,  The 41 

Fat  man's  misery.  The 11 

"Fiery  serpents  "  of  Numbers  xxi 8 

First  American  bird  taken  to  England 156 

First  Bible  printed  in  America 138 

First  bloodshed  in  the  Civil  War .*. 75 

First  bloodshed  in  the  Revolution 52 

First  census  of  the  United  States 38 

First  circumnavigator  of  the  globe 166 

First  Colonial  Congress 117 

First  duel  in  the  United  States 13 

First  English  book 147 

First  English  child  born  in  America 147 

First  English  child  born  in  New  England 27 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

First  flag  of  a  republic  setup  in  America 80 

First  gun  of  the  Civil  War ., 75 

First  land  discovered  by  Columbus 21 

First  legislative  assembly  in  America 74 

First  martyr  to  American  liberty 59 

First  national  political  convention 87 

First  national  political  platform 88 

First  paper-makers 46 

First  post-offices 12 

First  President  nominated  by  national  convention 87 

First  purchaser  of  United  States  postage-stamps 159 

First  temperance  society 145 

First  watches 168 

First  white  child  born  in  America 173 

First  woman  hung  in  the  United  States 162 

Foul-weather  Jack 81 

Floral  emblem  of  the  United  States 172 

Flying  Dutchman,  The 65 

Franklin's  oft-quoted  epitaph 55 

French  game-cock,  The 95 

G 

Gate  of  Tears,  The 175 

Gems  emblematic  of  the  Twelve  Apostles Ill 

General  fired  at  fifteen  times  but  unharmed 164 

Goblets  used  as  preservatives  against  poison 157 

Golden  number  and  how  determined ., 115 

Golomynka 53 

Grandest  funeral  pageant  ever  known 54 

Granite  City,  The 174 

Great  American  Commoner,  The 100 

Ground  Hog  Day '. 105 

H 

Haemadynamometer 4 

Hagar's  well 63 

Hairy  men.  The. 115 

Handsome  Englishman,  The 164 

Heaviest  metal 134 

Hebrew  manner  of  naming  the  books  of  the  Bible 138 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

PAGE 

Height  of  Goliath 120 

Highest  spot  inhabited  by  human  beings 142 

Highest  tides  Isnown 25 

History  changed  by  a  flight  of  birds 20 

History  of  the  poem  "  Sheridan's  Ride  " 109 

Holy  Grail,  The 80 

Horse  Latitudes,  The 14S 

How  all  the  greenbacks,  etc.,  are  destroyed SG 

How  Napoleon  was  paid  for  Louisiana 80 

How  the  Red  Sea  gets  its  color 40 

How  the  schooner  obtained  its  name 40 

How  the  swallow  obtained  its  name 176 

How  to  determine  the  years  of  a  Congress 39 

How  umbrellas  are  put  together 17 


Indian  chief  made  an  English  peer 36 

Indians'  present  to  Penn's  widow 71 

Indians  with  red  hair  and  pale  complexions 7 

Inventor  of  decimal  fractions 107 

Inventor  of  the  first  steamboat.. 139 

Inventor  of  the  most  perfect  alphabet 53 

Irish  Night,  The 67 

Iron  Duke,  The . .  148 

Island  discovered  by  two  lovers 10 

Island  of  St.  Brandon 148 

Island  of  the  Seven  Cities 149 

Ivan  Ivanovitch 131 

J 

Japanese  national  beverage 37 

Jersey  blues.  The 93 

Jewish  year  corresponding  to  1886  A.  D 49 

John  Bull 132 

Johnny  Crapaud 130 

John  of  Gaunt 122 

K 

Keystone  State,  The 67 

King  who  boasted  of  being  a  good  cook 10 

King  who  said  "I  am  the  state" 60 


XU  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

King  who  wrote  an  essay  against  tobacco ,  173 

Kitchen  Cabinet,  The 52 

Kosciusko's  mound 97 

L 

Lalla  Rookh 151 

Land  of  Steady  Habits,  The 151 

Land  of  the  Incas,  The 138 

Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,  The 77 

Land  of  the  Rising  Sun,  The 77 

Largest  clock  in  the  world 11 

Largest  locomotive  in  the  world 146 

Largest  stationary  engine  in  the  world 55 

Last  Union  general  killed  in  the  Rebellion 73 

Last  words  of  Benedict  Arnold 92 

Last  words  of  Columbus 101 

Last  writing  of  Columbus ....  102 

Learned  tailor.  The 62 

Left-handed  marriage 1 

Lightest  metal I35 

Light-horse  Harry 95 

Little  Giant,  The 54 

Little  Magician,  The 72 

Little  Paris 16 

Longest  word  in  the  English  language Ill 

Lumber  State,  The 151 

Luz 152 

M 

Maiden  town,  The 155 

Maid  of  Saragossa,  The 68 

Man  of  Destiny,  The 57 

Martha  Washington 125 

Meaning  of  the  phrase  "  By  hook  or  by  crook" 158 

Meaning  of  the  phrase  "  By  Jingo  " 113 

Meaning  of  the  phrase  "  Fitting  to  a  T  " 129 

Metals  valued  at  over  one  thousand  dollars  a  pound 173 

Mill-boy  of  the  Slashes,  The 43 

Mistress  of  the  World,  The 35 

Modern  Athens,  The 106 

MoUusk  that  swims  by  fins  on  the  side  of  its  neck 2 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

PAGB 

Money  of  North  American  Indians 42 

Most  deadly  epidemic  ever  known 31 

Most  famous  lieroine  of  antiquity 98 

Most  useful  conquest  ever  made  by  man 52 

Most  useful  tree  in  the  world 73 

Mother  Goose 60 

Mother  of  Cities,  The 9 

Mourning  colors  of  various  nations 34 

N 

Name  of  the  penitent  thief 50 

National  emblematic  flower  of  China  and  Japan 139 

National  hymn  composed  in  a  single  night 32 

Nearest  approach  made  to  the  North  Pole 77 

Newspaper  called  "The  Thunderer" 57 

Newton  of  Antiquity,  The 172 

Nimrod  of  the  Bible,  The 75 

Nine  Worthies,  The 41 

Northeast  Passage  discovered 156 

Northwest  Passage  discovered 26 

Number  of  languages 29 

Number  of  people  brought  over  in  the  "  Mayflower  "  . . , , 76 

O 

Oath  of  office  administered  to  WaBhington  ,, 35 

O  GrabMe  Act,  The 61 

Old  Bullion 13 

Oldest  President 90 

Oldest  street  in  New  England 155 

Old  Hickory 42 

Old  Nick 113 

Old  Public  Functionary 94 

Old  Scratch 135 

Only  bird  that  can  see  an  object  with  both  eyes  at  once 6 

Only  canonized  saint  of  American  birth 74 

Only  monarchy  on  the  Western  Continent 96 

Order  of  the  G-arter 39 

Origin  of  "  April  Fool " 128 

Origin  of  "  Before  one  could  say  Jack  Robinson  " 69 

Origin  of  "bigot" « 164 


xiv  CONTENTS. 

PACHt 

Origin  of  "bogus" 112 

Origin  of  "  Brottier  Jonathan  " 36 

Origin  of  "catch-penny" , 58 

Origin  of  "  getting  into  a  scrape  " 129 

Origin  of  "  halcjon  days" 50 

Origin  of  "  honey-moon  " 43 

Origin  of  "  humbug  " 108 

Origin  of  "  I  aclsnowledge  the  corn  " 18 

Origin  of  "  Johnnies  " 176 

Origin  of  "  Lynch  Law  " 67 

Origin  of  "  Mugwump" 177 

Origin  of  "Old  Harry" , 106 

Origin  of  "  pin-money" 56 

Origin  of  "printer's  devil" 44 

Origin  of  "  quiz  " 68 

Origin  of  "  sardonic  smile  " 166 

Origin  of  "  Simon  Pure" 154 

Origin  of  "  tariff  " 57 

Origin  of  tarring  and  feathering 112 

Origin  of  Thanl£sgiving  Day 114 

Origin  of  " That 's  a  feather  in  your  cap" 161 

Origin  of  the  barber's  pole 126 

Origin  of  the  minute  and  second 15 

Origin  of  the  names  of  the  days  of  the  weeli 48 

Origin  of  the  names  of  the  months 47 

Origin  of  the  names  of  the  oceans 143 

Origin  of  "The  three  R's" 16 

Origin  of  the  word  "Mississippi" 61 

Origin  of  "To  catch  a  Tartar" 154 

Origin  of  "  To  haul  over  the  coals  " 155 

Origin  of  "To  have  a  bone  to  pick  with  one " 157 

Origin  of  "To  row  up  Salt  River  " 145 

Origin  of  "  To  speak  for  Buncombe  " 120 

Origin  of  "To  throw  dust  in  one's  eye  " ^ 157 

Origin  of  Uncle  Sam 16 

Origin  of  "  Whig  "  and  "  Tory  " 106 

Origin  of  $... ....ti.t...i...i.t 156 

P 

Palace  containing  five  hundred  rooms 52 

Parents  of  Columbus 100 

Farthenopean  Republic,  The 47 


CONTENTS.  iV 

PAGE 

Patriot  Preacher  of  the  Revolution,  The 24 

Peeping  Tom  of  Coventry : 132 

Petrified  City,  The 161 

Philosopher  who  thought  the  sun  was  a  huge  fiery  stone 175 

Physiologist  who  tliought  man  should  live  a  century 29 

Pine-Tree  State,  The 15 

Pocahontas'  real  name 35 

Poet  noted  for  his  thinness 92 

Poet's  death  caused  by  his  bald  head 26 

Porkopolis 148 

Postal  cards 78 

Pouter  pigeon 92 

Prairie  State,  The 135 

President  buried  at  the  expense  of  his  friends 121 

Presidential  administration  compared  to  a  parenthesis. 137 

Prenidential  election  in  which  three  States  did  not  vote 34 

Presidents  born  in  Virginia 96 

President  twice  married  to  the  same  lady 121 

President  who  never  attended  school 79 

President  who  worked  on  a  ferry-boat 7S 

President  who  wrote  his  own  epitaph 87 

Prince  of  Destruction,  The 151 

Proper  name  of  Columbus 100 

Punishment  of  bachelors  at  Sparta •     71 

Putnam  and  the  wolf. 78 

Q 

Quaker  Poet,  The 171 

Queen  of  Hearts,  The 152 

Queen  of  Tears,  The 33 

R 

Railroad  City,  The 124 

Rail-splitter,  The 69 

Rare  Ben 113 

Red  Prince,  The 123 

Religious  sect  that  depend  on  prayer 51 

Remarkable  Esquimaux  stratagem ■ 20 

Roundheads,  The 153 


XVi  CONTENTS. 


8 

PAGE 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Buddhists 83 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Chinese 83 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Hindoos 85 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Japanese 86 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Mohammedans 86 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Persians  . .. 85 

Sacred  writings  of  the  Scandinavians 84 

Sage  Brush  State,  The 124 

Sage  of  Monticello,  The 170 

Sailor  Ijing,  The 176 

Samian  letter,  The 177 

Scourge  of  God,  The 158 

Sect  believing  in  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  hells 82 

Seed  supposed  to  confer  invisibility 10 

Seven  against  Thebes,  The 169 

Seven  Bibles  of  the  world,  The 86 

Seven  Champions  of  Christendom,  The 45 

Seven  Sleepers,  The 44 

Seven  "Wise  Men  of  Greece,  The 45 

Seven  "Wonders  of  the  ancient  world.  The 45 

Shadeless  forests 97 

Shakespeare  of  India,  The 5 

Socrates'  fundamental  doctrine 51 

Sovereign  who  owns  the  greater  part  of  his  realm 9 

State  called  "The  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground" 89 

"  Stonewall "  Jackson's  sobriquet 136 

St.  Tammany 69 

Sucker  State,  The 103 

Sy mmes'  Hole 171 

T 

Taffy 131 

Tallest  trees  in  the  world 98 

Tam  O'  Shanter 93 

Terms  of  the  treaty  of  1783 117 

Three  kings  of  Cologne,  The 142 

Title  of  the  Czar  of  Russia 119 

Town  in  Vermont  captured  by  the  Confederates 1 

Tree  regarded  as  an  emblem  of  death 11 


CONTENTS.  XVU 

PAGE 

Trivial  incident  that  led  to  a  grand  discovery o 

Turpentine  State,  The 13; 

Two  consecutive  Bible  verses  that  contradict 175 

u 

(Jnconditional  Surrender 167 

Underground  river  in  the  United  States 68 

V 

Value  of  a  pound  of  hair-springs  for  watches 4 

Veiled  Prophet,  The 7 

Via  Dolorosa 1:55 

Vice-President  not  elected  by  the  people 38 

Vice-President  who  did  not  serve 38 

Vinegar  Bible,  The 130 

Violet  stones 86 

w 

Wagoner  Boy,  The 64 

War  of  the  Roses,  The 155 

Water  volcano,  The 62 

Wealthiest  President 93 

Well-known  hymn  composed  in  a  few  minutes 129 

What  the  Indians  did  to  raise  ammunition 75 

What  the  Indians  supposed  the  ships  of  Columbus  to  be 79 

When  a  gallon  oi  vinegar  weighs  more 35 

Whence  the  cravat  obtains  its  name 147 

Where  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  written 115 

^^^lere  the  different  Presidents  were  nominated '. ..  88 

White  Lady,  The 28 

Who  ate  Roger  Williams  ? 70 

Whose  daughter  was  Noah? 115 

Whose  wife  was  Adam? 114 

Why  a  dog  turns  round  before  he  lies  down 46 

Why  buckwheat  is  so  called 112 

Why  John  Quincy  Adams  was  so  named 90 

Why  Kow  Jersey  is  called  a  foreign  country 123 

Why  New  Jersey  is  called  Spain 153 

Why  people  move  on  March  25 150 


XVIU  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Why  Presidents  are  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March 66 

Why  the  Baldwin  apple  is  eo  called 161 

Why  the  "Hoosiers  "  are  bo  called 160 

Why  the  passion  flower  is  so  called 160 

Why  the  shamrock  is  the  emblem  of  Ireland 127 

Why  the  White  House  is  so  called 1 62 

Wicked  Bible,  The 46 

Wife  of  Columbus 100 

Words  containing  all  the  vowels  in  order 73 

Y 

Youngest  President 81 

Youngest  Territory 127 

z 

Zopyrus 175 


QUEER   QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 


1.  What  town  in  Vermont  was  taken  by  the  Con- 
federates during  the  late  Civil  War  ? 

On  the  19th  of  October,  1864,  between  twenty  and 
thirty  armed  Confederates  left  Canada,  entered  St.  Albans, 
Vermont,  robbed  the  banks,  stole  horses  and  stores,  fired 
and  killed  one  man,  wounded  others,  and  returned  to 
Canada.  Thirteen  were  arrested  Oct.  21,  but  they  were 
discharged  on  account  of  some  legal  difficulty  by  Judge 
Coursol,  Dec.  14.  This  raid  caused  great  excitement  in 
the  United  States;  Gen.  Dix  proclaimed  reprisals;  volun- 
teers were  called  out  to  defend  the  Canadian  frontiers; 
but  President  Lincoln  rescinded  Dix's  proclamation  in 
December.  The  raiders  were  all  discharged  March  30, 
1865,  and  Secretary  Seward  gave  up  claim  to  their  extra- 
dition in  April. 

2.  What  is  a  "  left-handed  "  marriage? 

A  morganatic  or  left-handed  marriage,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  is  a  lower  sort  of  matrimonial  union,  which,  as  a 
civil  engagement,  is  completely  binding,  but  fails  to  con- 
fer on  the  wife  the  title  or  fortune  of  her  husband,  and  on 
the  children  the  full  status  of  legitimacy  or  right  of  suc- 
eession.    The  members  of  the  German  princely  houses 


2  QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  BEADY  BEPLIES. 

have  for  centuries  been  in  the  practice  of  entering  into 
marriages  of  this  kind  with  their  inferiors  in  rank.  Out 
of  this  usage  has  gradually  sprung  a  code  of  matrimonial 
law,  by  which  the  union  of  princes  With  persons  of  lower 
rank,  in  other  than  morganatic  form,  involves  serious 
consequences,  especially  tov/ard  the  lady.  The  penalty 
of  death  was  actually  enforced  in  the  case  of  the  beauti- 
ful and  unfortunate  Agnes  Bernaur.  In  the  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  centuries  a  fashion  began  among  the 
German  princes  of  taking  a  morganatic  wife  in  addition 
to  one  who  enjoyed  the  complete  matrimonial  status, — 
Landgrave  Philip  of  Hesse  setting  the  example,  with  a 
very  qualified  disapprobation  on  the  part  of  the  leading 
reformers.  An  energetic  attempt  was  made  in  the  first 
half  of  the  last  century  by  Anton  Ulrich,  Duke  of  Saxe- 
Meiningen,  to  upset  the  established  practice,  and  to 
obtain  for  his  morganatic  wife  the  rank  of  duchess,  and 
for  her  children  the  right  of  succession.  The  most  recent 
morganatic  marriage  was  that  of  the  late  Czar  of  Russia, 
Alexander  II.,  to  the  Princess  Dolgorouki,  1880. 


3.  What  mollusk  has  a  distinct  head,  and  swims  by 
fins  attached  to  the  side  of  the  neck  ? 

This  is  the  Gymnosomata  (Greek,  "  naked-bodied  "), 
an  order  of  pteropodous  mollusks,  destitute  of  shell.  They 
constitute  one  family,  the  Cliidse.  They  are  all  marine; 
and  the  right  whale  feeds  largely  upon  some  of  the  spe- 
cies, engulfing  great  numbers  in  its  open  mouth,  and 
straining  them  from  the  water  by  means  of  its  baleen. 
The  Clio  horealis  of  the  Arctic  Seas  is  the  best  known 
and  most  interesting  example. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  3 

4.  What  substance  was  once  a  vegetable,  but  is 
now  a  mineral ;  was  once  valued  as  a  medicine,  but  is 
now  used  only  for  purposes  of  ornament? 

Amber  is  the  fossilized  resinous  exudation  from  several 
species  of  extinct  coniferous  trees,  of  which  one,  the 
Pinites  succinifer,  is  supposed  to  have  produced  a  greater 
part.  It  now  appears  like  coal,  in  connection  with  beds 
of  which  it  is  usually  found,  as  a  product  of  the  mineral 
kingdom.  It  formerly  had  a  high  reputation  as  a  medi- 
cine, but  the  virtues  ascribed  to  it  were  almost  entirely 
imaginary.  It  is  usually  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  sometimes 
reddish  or  brownish,  sometimes  transparent,  sometimes 
almost  opaque.  It  is  now  extensively  used  for  orna- 
ments, and  especially  for  mouthpieces  of  pipes,  the 
consumption  being  greatest  in  Eastern  Europe,  Turkey, 
Persia,  etc.  Fine  pieces  are  worth  more  than  their  weight 
in  gold.  The  largest  mass  known  is  in  the  Koyal  Cabinet 
at  Berlin;  its  weight  is  eighteen  pounds,  and  it  is  valued 
at  S30,000.  Most  of  the  amber  of  commerce  is  obtained 
fi'om  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  between  Konigsberg  and 
Memel.  It  was  an  article  of  exchange  long  anterior  (o 
the  dawn  of  history,  as  we  know  by  its  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  remains  of  the  lake  dwellings  of  Switzerland. 
The  earliest  notice  of  amber  we  find  occurs  in  Homer's 
"Odyssey,"  where,  in  the  list  of  jewels  offered  by  the 
Phoenicians  to  the  Queen  of  Syria,  occurs  "  the  gold  neck- 
lace hung  with  bits  of  amber"  (Od.,  XV.  460).  It  be- 
comes negatively  electric  by  friction,  and  possesses  this 
property  in  a  high  degree,  which,  indeed,  was  first  ob- 
served in  it,  and  the  term  "  electricity  "  is  derived  from 
Elektron,  the  Greek  name  of  amber. 


i  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

5.  How  did  the  ancients  account  for  the  origin  of 
amber  ? 

Among  the  Greek  fables  purporting  to  account  for  the 
origin  of  amber,  it  is  narrated  that  the  Heliadfe,  on  seeing 
their  brother,  Phaethon,  hurled  by  the  lightning  of  Zeus 
(Jupiter)  into  the  Eridanus,  were  by  the  pitying  gods 
transformed  into  poplar-trees,  and  the  tears  they  shed 
were  dropped  as  amber  on  the  shores  of  the  river.  A  less 
poetical  theory  of  its  origin  states  that  it  was  formed  from 
the  condensed  urine  of  the  lynx  inhabitating  Northern 
Italy,  the  pale  varieties  being  produced  by  the  females, 
while  the  deeper  tints  were  attributed  to  the  males. 

6.  What  is  the  value  of  a  pound  of  steel  when  made 
into  hair-springs  for  watches  ? 

A  pound  of  steel  that  costs  but  a  few  cents  becomes 
worth  $128,000  in  the  shape  of  hair-springs  for  watches. 

7.  Who  devised  the  instrument  for  determining  the 
pressure  of  the  blood  in  the  arteries  and  veins  of  the 
living  body  ? 

The  Hgemadynamometer  (from  the  Greek  aifxa,  blood, 
dvvaiiig,  force,  and  finQov,  a  measure)  was  devised  for  this 
purpose  by  Poisseville.  The  pressure  of  the  blood  is 
measured,  as  in  the  barometer,  by  the  column  of  mercury 
that  it  balances.  The  instrument  has  recently  been  im- 
proved in  various  ways,  and  a  contrivance  has  been  added 
by  which  the  oscillations  of  the  mercury  are  inscribed  in 
the  form  of  an  undulating  curve  on  a  cylinder  made  to 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  5 

revolve  by  clock-work;  the  height  of  the  undulations 
denoting  the  pressure,  and  their  horizontal  amplitude  the 
time. 

8.     What  ancient  city  perished  through  silence? 

Amyclse,  an  ancient  town  of  Lacouia,  situated  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Eurotas,  was  a  famous  city  in  the 
hei'oic  age.  It  was  the  abode  of  Tyndarus  and  his 
spouse  Leda,  of  Castor  and  Pollux,  who  are  hence  called 
the  "  Amyclaean  Brothers."  It  was  only  shortly  before 
the  first  Messenian  War  (743-724  B.  C.)  that  the  town 
was  conquered  by  the  Spartan  King  Teleclus.  The  inhabi- 
tants had  been  so  often  alarmed  by  false  reports  of  the 
approach  of  the  Spartans  that,  growing  tired  of  living  in 
a  state  of  continual  alarm,  they  decreed  that  no  one  should 
henceforth  mention  or  even  take  notice  of  these  disagree- 
able fictions;  and,  accordingly,  when  the  Spartans  at  last 
came,  no  one  dared  to  announce  their  approach.  Hence 
arose  the  Greek  saying,  "  Amyclse  perished  through 
silence,"  and  also  the  Latin  proverb,  "  AviycUs  ipsis  taci- 
turnior''^  (More  silent  than  even  Amy  else). 


9.  What  dramatic  poet  has  been  called  the  "  Shake- 
speare of  India  "  ? 

Kalidasa  was  the  greatest  dramatic  poet  of  India,  His 
drama,  "  Sakuntala,"  translated  by  Sir  William  Jones, 
1789,  produced  a  great  sensation  in  Europe.  He  is  noted 
for  the  variety  of  his  creations,  his  ingenious  conceptions, 
beauty  of  narrative,  delicacy  of  sentiment,  and  fertility 
of  imagination;  hence  the  sobriquet. 


6  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

10.  What  trivial  incident  in  1666  led  to  one  of  the 
grandest  discoveries  ever  made  ? 

It  was  during  this  year  that  the  celebrated  philosopher, 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  while  sitting  beneath  an  apple-tree  in 
his  mother's  orchard  at  Woolsthorpe,  England,  conceived 
the  idea  of  gravitation  from  seeing  an  apple  fall  from 
the  tree.  This  tree  remained  standing  until  the  year  1814, 
when  it  was  blown  down.  The  wood  of  it  was  preserved 
and  made  into  various  articles.  Several  trees  still  exist 
which  were  raised  from  the  seeds  of  its  fruit. 

11.  Which  is  the  only  bird  that  can  use  both  eyes 
at  once  in  looking  at  an  object? 

This  bird  is  the  owl.  Its  eyes  are  very  large,  directed 
forward,  more  or  less  surrounded  by  a  disk  of  radiating 
bristly  feathers,  and  in  most  of  the  species  formed  for 
seeing  in  the  twilight  or  at  night,  presenting  a  vacant 
stare  when  exposed  to  daylight.  The  Greeks  and  Romans 
made  it  the  emblem  of  wisdom,  and  sacred  to  Minerva, 
and,  indeed,  its  large  head  and  solemn  eyes  give  it  an  air 
of  wisdom  which  its  brain  does  not  sanction. 

12.  What  bird  has  neither  tail  nor  wings? 

The  Apteryx  (Greek  a,  privative,  nzEQV^,  wing)  is  a 
bird  allied  to  the  ostrich  and  emu.  It  is  found  in  New 
Zealand,  particularly  in  regions  covered  with  extensive 
and  thick  beds  of  fern,  in  which  it  hides  when  alarmed. 
It  is  called  Mtoi-kiwi  by  the  natives.  It  has  a  very  long  and 
slender  bill,  of  which  it  makes  a  remarkable  use  in  sup- 
porting itself  when  it  rests.    The  natives  pursue  it  for 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.        7 

its  skin,  which  is  very  tough  and  flexible,  and  much  prized 
by  the  chiefs  for  the  manufacture  of  their  state  mantles. 
Happy  is  the  Maori  who  possesses  a  cloak  of  kiwi-kiwi 
feathers. 

13.  "What  race  of  Indians,  still  uneonquered,  is  sup- 
posed to  have  red  hair  and  pale  complexions  ? 

The  Guatuso  Indians,  a  race  of  the  Aztec  family. 
They  dwell  along  the  banks  and  head- waters  of  the  Rio 
Frio,  which  flows  into  Lake  Nicaragua.  Their  country 
has  never  been  penetrated.  The  attempts  made  l)y  the 
Catholic  missionaries  and  the  governors  of  Nicaragua  to 
reach  them,  though  often  renewed,  have  always  been 
repulsed. 

14.  Who  was  the  "  Veiled  Prophet"  ? 

Hakim  Ben  Allah,  or  Ben  Hashem,  the  founder  of  an 
Arabic  sect  in  the  eighth  century,  during  the  reign  of 
Maliadi,  the  third  Abassidian  caliph,  at  Neksheb,  or 
Meru  in  Khorassan,  was  surnamed  Mokanna,  or  "  the 
veiled  prophet."  He  was  so  called  on  account  of  his  con- 
stantly wearing  a  veil  of  silver,  or,  according  to  others,  of 
golden  gauze.  Some  writers  attribute  this  habit  to  a 
desire  to  conceal  a  deformity,  one  of  his  eyes  having  been 
pierced  by  an  arrow,  others  to  the  desire  to  conceal  his 
extraordinary  ugliness.  His  own  explanation,  which  was 
believed  by  his  followers,  was  that  the  veil  was  necessary 
to  shroud  from  the  ej'es  of  the  beholder  the  dazzling  rays 
emanating  from  his  divine  countenance.  Hakim  set  him- 
self up  as  a  god.  He  had  first,  he  said,  assumed  the  body 
of  Adam,  then  that  of  Noah,  and  subsequently  those  of 


8  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 

many  other  wise  and  great  men.  The  last  human  form  he 
pretended  to  have  adopted  was  that  of  Abu  Moslem,  a 
prince  of  Khorassan.  He  appears  to  have  been  well 
versed  in  the  arts  of  legerdemain  and  "  natural  magic," 
principally  as  regards  producing  startling  effects  of  light 
and  color.  Among  other  miracles,  he,  for  a  whole  week, 
to  the  great  delight  and  bewilderment  of  his  soldiers, 
caused  a  moon  or  moons  to  issue  from  a  deep  well;  and  so 
brilliant  was  the  appearance  of  these  luminaries,  that  the 
real  moon  quite  disappeared  by  their  side.  On  this  account 
he  was  sometimes  called  Sagende  ISTah,  or  the  "  Motm- 
maker."  When  the  Sultan  Mahadi  had,  after  a  long 
siege,  taken  the  last  stronghold  in  which  Hakira  had  forti- 
fied himself,  he,  having  first  poisoned  all  his  soldiers  at  a 
banquet,  threw  himself  into  a  vessel  filled  with  a  burning 
acid  of  such  a  nature  that  his  body  was  entirely  dissolved, 
and  nothing  remained  but  a  few  hairs.  This  was  done 
that  the  faithful  might  believe  him  to  have  ascended  to 
heaven  alive.  Some  remnants  of  his  sect  still  exist. 
Hakim  has  furnished  the  subject  of  many  romances,  of 
which  the  one  contained  in  Moore's  "  Lalla  Rookh  "  is  the 
most  brilliant  and  best  known. 


15.  What  were  supposed  to  be  the  "  fiery  serpents  " 
which  attacked  the  Israelites  in  the  desert  ? 

It  has  been  argued  with  great  plausibility  that  they  were 
in  reality  Guinea  or  Medina  worms  (Filaria  medinensis), 
a  parasite  that  inhabits  the  fiesh  of  men  and  other  animals, 
and  that  seems  to  have  been  known  from  the  earliest 
times.  It  is  from  six  inches  to  four  feet  in  length,  and 
about  one  ninth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.    It  is  found  in 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  9 

many  parts  of  Africa,  India,  Sumatra,  Persia,  Arabia,  and 
the  island  of  CuraQoa.  It  is  believed  to  enter  the  flesh 
through  the  skin,  and  as  many  as  fifty  have  been  reported 
in  a  single  person.  In  some  cases  they  cause  much  pain 
and  inconvenience ;  in  others,  none.  Death  has  sometimes 
resulted  from  them. 

16.  What  sovereign  owns  the  greater  part  of  the 
territory  over  which  he  reigns  ? 

At  least  three  different  rulers  can  claim  this  distinction. 
Prince  Heinrich  XXII.,  present  sovereign  of  the  Princi- 
pality of  Reuss-Greiz,  has  no  civil  list.  He  is  very  wealthy, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  territory  over  which  he  reigns 
is  his  own  private  property. 

Prince  Heinrich  XIV.  is  the  present  sovereign  of  the 
Principality  of  Reuss-Schleiz,  of  which  the  greater  part  is 
the  private  property  of  the  reigning  family. 

Friedrich  Wilhelm  I.,  present  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklen- 
burg-Strelitz,  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  German  sover- 
eigns, more  than  half  of  the  Grand  Duchy  being  his  own 
property. 

17.  "What  Oriental  town  is  called  the  "  Mother  of 
Cities  "  ? 

Mecca,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  of  Arabia,  the  capital 
of  the  province  of  Hedjaz,  and,  through  being  the  birth- 
place of  Mohammed,  the  central  and  most  holy  city  of  all 
Islam,  is,  on  this  account,  called  by  the  Arabs  Om  Al 
Kora,  the  "  Mother  of  Cities." 

This  title  is  also  given  by  the  native  population  to 
Balkh,  in  Central  Asia,  formerly  a  great  city,  but  now  for 


10  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

the  most  part  a  mass  of  ruins.  This  is  a  city  of  great 
antiquity,  and  was  at  an  early  date  a  rival  of  Nineveh  and 
Babylon. 

18.  What  seed  was  supposed  to  render  its  possessor 
invisible,  and  why? 

Plants  were  once  thought  to  impart  their  own  character- 
istics to  the  wearer.  Thus  the  herb-dragon  was  thought 
to  cure  the  bite  of  serpents;  wood-sorrel,  which  has  a 
heart-shaped  leaf,  to  cheer  the  heart;  liver-wort,  to  bene- 
fit the  liver,  etc.  Certain  kinds  of  ferns  have  seeds  so 
minute  as  to  be  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  and,  carried 
about  the  person,  were  supposed  to  confer  invisibility. 
Shakespeare  says,  "  We  have  the  receipt  of  fern-seed;  we 
walk  invisible."     (1  Henry  IV.,  Act  II.,  1.) 

19.  What  king  prided  himself  on  being  the  best 
cook  in  his  country  ? 

Louis  XV.  (1710-1774),  the  grandson  of  Louis  XIV., 
is  said  to  have  boasted  of  being  the  best  cook  in  France, 
and  to  have  been  much  pleased  when  the  courtiers  ate 
eagerly  of  the  dishes  which  he  had  prepared. 

20.  What  island  was  discovered  by  two  lovers  ? 

There  is  a  story  to  the  effect  that  two  lovers,  Robert 
Machim  and  Anna  d'Arfet,  fleeing  from  England  to 
France  in  1346,  were  driven  out  of  their  course  by  a  vio- 
leut  storm,  and  cast  on  the  coast  of  Madeira  at  the  place 
subsequently  named  Machico,  in  memory  of  one  of  them. 
The  truth  of  this  romantic  story  has  recently  been  demon- 
strated by  Mr.  Major. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.  11 

21 .  Where  is  the  ' '  Fat  Man's  Misery  "  ? 

This  is  a  narrow  serpentine  path  in  the  Mammoth 
Cave.  The  walls,  only  eighteen  inches  apart,  change 
direction  eight  times  in  one  hundred  and  five  yards,  while 
the  distance  from  the  sandy  path  to  the  ledge  overhead  is 
but  five  feet. 

22.  What  tree  is  regarded  as  an  emblem  of  death? 

The  cypress  has  been  so  used  for  centuries,  from  the 
sombre  aspect  of  its  dark  green  leaves,  and  from  the  fact 
that  when  once  cut  down  it  never  grows  again.  In 
ancient  times  cypress  logs  were  placed  on  funeral  piles; 
probably  on  account  of  both  their  emblematic  use  and  the 
aromatic  odor,  emitted  by  the  burning  wood,  which  would 
counteract  any  smell  arising  from  the  burning  body. 

23.  Where  is  the  largest  clock  in  the  world? 

In  the  English  House  of  Parliament.  The  four  dials 
of  this  clock  are  twenty-two  feet  in  diameter.  Every 
half-minute  the  minute-hand  moves  nearly  seven  inches. 
The  clock  will  go  eight  and  one  half  days,  but  will  strike 
for  only  seven  and  one  half  days,  thus  indicating  any 
neglect  in  winding  it  up.  The  winding  up  of  the  striking 
apparatus  takes  two  hours.  The  pendulum  is  fifteen  fuet 
long;  the  wheels  are  cast  iron;  the  hour  bell  is  eight  feet 
high  and  nine  feet  in  diameter,  weighing  nearly  fifteen 
tons,  and  the  hammer  alone  weighs  more  than  five  hun- 
dred pounds.  This  clock  strikes  the  quarter-hours.  Its 
pendulum  beats  every  two  seconds.  The  motion  is  kept 
up  by  a  remontoir,  or  gravity  escapement. 


12      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

24.     When  were  post-offices  first  established? 

The  first  letter  post  Avas  established  in  the  Hanse  towns 
in  the  early  part  of  the  thirteenth  century.  A  line  of 
letter  posts  followed,  connecting  Austria  with  Lombardy, 
in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  which  are  said 
to  have  been  organized  by  the  princes  of  Thurn  and 
Taxis;  and  the  representatives  of  the  same  house  estab- 
lished another  line  of  posts  from  Vienna  to  Brussels,  the 
most  distant  parts  of  the  dominions  of  Charles  V.  This 
family  continue  to  the  present  day  to  hold  certain  rights 
with  regard  to  the  German  postal  system,  their  posts  being 
entirely  distinct  from  those  established  by  the  crown,  and 
sometimes  in  rivalry  with  them.  In  England,  in  early 
times,  both  public  and  private  letters  were  sent  by  mes- 
sengers, who,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  wore  the  royal 
livery.  They  had  to  provide  themselves  with  horses  until 
the  reign  of  Edward  I.,  when  posts  were  established 
where  horses  were  to  be  had  for  hire.  Edward  IV.,  when 
engaged  in  war  with  Scotland,  had  dispatches  conveyed 
to  his  camp  with  great  speed,  by  means  of  a  system  of 
relays  of  horses,  which,  however,  fell  into  disuse  on  the 
restoration  of  peace.  Camden  mentions  the  office  of 
"  master  of  tlie  postes  "  as  existing  in  1581,  but  the 
duties  of  that  officer  were  probably  connected  exclusively 
with  the  supply  of  post  horses.  The  posts  were  meant 
for  the  conveyance  of  government  dispalchts  alone,  and 
it  was  only  by  degrees  that  permission  was  extended  to 
private  individuals  to  make  use  of  them.  A  foreign  post 
for  the  conveyance  of  letters  between  London  and  the 
Continent  seems  to  have  been  established  by  foreign  mer- 
chants in  the  fifteenth  century;  and  certain  disputes 
which  arose  between    the    Flemings    and    the    Itahans 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  13 

regai'diug  the  right  of  appointing  a  postmaster,  and  were 
referred  to  the  piivy  council,  led  to  the  institution  of  a 
"  chief  postmaster,"  who  should  have  charge  both  of  the 
English  and  foreign  post.  The  American  post-office  is 
one  of  our  earliest  institutions,  and  was  provided  for  by 
legislation  in  Massachusetts  in  1639,  and  in  Virginia  in 
1657.  A  monthly  post  between  'New  York  and  Boston 
was  established  in  1672. 

25 .  Who  was  ' '  Old  Bullion  "  ? 

This  sobriquet  was  conferred  on  Col.  Thomas  Hart 
Benton  (1782-1852),  a  distinguished  American  statesman, 
on  account  of  his  advocacy  of  the  gold  and  silver  currency 
as  a  true  remedy  for  the  financial  embarrassments  in 
which  the  United  States  was  involved  after  the  expira- 
tion of  the  charter  of  the  national  bank,  and  as  the  only 
proper  medium  for  government  disbursements  and  re- 
ceipts. 

26.  When,  where,  and  between  whom  was  the  first 
duel  fought  in  the  United  States  ? 

The  first  duel  in  the  United  States  was  at  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  on  June  18,  1621,  between  Edward  Doty  and 
Edward  Leicester,  two  servants,  both  of  whom  were 
wounded.  For  this  outrage  they  were  sentenced  to  the 
punishment  of  having  their  heads  and  feet  tied  together, 
and  of  lying  thus  twenty-four  hours  without  food  or  drink. 
After  suffering,  however,  in  that  posture  an  hour,  at 
their  master's  intercession  and  their  humble  request, 
with  the  promise  of  amendment,  they  were  released  by 
the  governor. 


14  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

27.  How  is  the  northern  boundary  line  of  the 
United  States  marked? 

The  northern  boundary  line  of  this  country  is  marked 
by  stone  cairns,  iron  pillars,  wood  pillars,  earth  mounds, 
and  timber  posts.  A  stone  cairn  is  seven  and  a  half  feet 
by  eight  feet;  an  earth  mound  seven  feet  by  fourteen  feet; 
an  iron  pillar  seven  feet  high,  eight  inches  square  at  the 
bottom,  and  four  inches  at  the  top;  timber  posts  five  feet 
high  and  eight  inches  square.  There  are  three  hundred 
and  eighty-five  of  these  marks  between  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods  and  the  base  of  the  Kocky  Mountains.  That  por- 
tion of  the  boundary  which  lies  east  and  west  of  the  Red 
Eiver  Valley  is  marked  by  cast-iron  pillars  at  even  mile 
intervals.  The  British  place  one  every  two  miles,  and 
the  United  States  one  between  each  British  post.  Our 
pillars  or  markers  were  made  at  Detroit,  Mich.  They 
are  hollow  iron  castings,  three  eighths  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, in  the  form  of  a  truncated  pyramid,  eight  feet  high, 
eight  inches  square  at  the  bottom,  and  four  at  the  top,  as 
before  stated.  They  have  at  the  top  a  solid  pyramidal  cap, 
and  at  the  bottom  an  octagonal  flange  one  inch  in  thick- 
ness. Upon  the  opposite  faces  are  cast,  in  lettei's  two 
inches  high,  the  inscriptions,  "  Convecrtion  of  London," 
and  "  October  QOth,  1818."  The  inscriptions  begin  about 
four  feet  six  inches  above  the  base  and  read  upwards. 
The  interiors  of  the  hollow  posts  are  filted  with  well-sea- 
soned cedar  posts,  sawed  to  fit,  and  securely  spiked  through 
spike  holes  cast  in  ihe  pillars  for  that  purpose.  The  aver- 
age weight  of  each  pillar  when  completed  is  eighty-five 
pounds.  The  pillars  are  all  set  four  feet  in  the  ground, 
with  their  inscription  faces  to  the  north  and  south,  and 
the  earth  is  well  settled  and  stamped  about  them.    For  the 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES.  15 

wooden  posts  well-seasoned  logs  are  selected,  and  the  por- 
tion above  the  ground  painted  red,  to  prevent  swelling 
and  shrinking.  These  posts  do  very  .^ell,  but  the  Indians 
cut  them  down  for  fuel,  and  nothing  but  iron  will  last 
very  long.  Where  the  line  crosses  lakes,  mountains  of 
stone  have  been  built,  the  bases  being  in  some  places 
eighteen  feet  under  water,  and  the  tops  projecting  eight 
feet  above  the  lake's  surface  at  high-water  mark.  In  for- 
ests the  line  is  marked  by  felling  the  timber  a  rod  wide, 
and  clearing  away  the  underbrush.  The  work  of  cutting 
through  the  timbered  swamps  was  very  great,  but  it  has 
been  well  done,  and  the  boundary  distinctly  marked  by 
the  commissioners  the  whole  distance  from  Michigan  to 
Alaska. 

28.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  minute  and  second? 
We  have  sixty  divisions  on  the  dials  of  our  clocks  and 

watches,  because  the  old  Greek  astronomer,  Hipparchns, 
who  lived  in  the  second  century  before  Christ,  accepted 
the  Babylonian  system  of  reckoning  time,  that  system 
being  sexagesimal.  The  Babylonians  were  acquainted 
with  the  decimal  system,  but  for  common  or  practical  pur- 
poses they  counted  by  sossi  and  sari,  the  sossos  i-epre- 
senting  sixty,  and  the  saros  sixty  times  six,  — thirty-six 
hundred.  From  Hipparchus  that  mode  of  reckoning 
found  its  way  into  the  works  of  Ptolemy  about  150  A.  D., 
and  hence  was  carried  down  the  stream  of  science  and 
civilization,  and  found  its  way  to  the  dial  plates  of  our 
clocks  and  watches. 

29.  Which  is  the  ' '  Pine  Tree  State  "  ? 

Maine.    The  majestic  mast  pines  which  have  given  this 
State  its  sobriquet  are  fast  receding  before  the  demands 


16  QUEER    QUESTIONS   ANJ>   READY   REPLIES. 

of  commerce.     This  tree  is  the  heraldic  emblem  of  the 

State. 

30.  What  city  is  called  "  Little  Paris"? 

Milan,  Italy,  from  its  resemblance  in  point  of  gayety 
to  the  Freiach  capital. 

31.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  term  "  Uncle  Sam"? 

This  term  came  into  use  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was 
born  at  Troy,  N.  Y.  The  government  inspector  there 
was  Uncle  Sam  Wilson,  and  when  the  war  opened  Elbert 
Anderson,  the  contractor  at  New  York,  bought  a  large 
amount  of  beef,  pork,  and  pickles  for  the  army.  These 
were  inspected  by  Wilson,  and  were  duly  labelled  E.  A.  -- 
U.  S.,  meaning  Elbert  Anderson,  for  the  United  States. 
The  term  U.  S.  for  the  United  States  was  then  somewhat 
new,  and  the  workmen  concluded  that  they  referred  to 
Uncle  Sam  Wilson.  After  they  discovered  their  mistake, 
they  kept  up  the  name  as  a  joke.  These  same  men  soon 
went  to  the  war.  There  they  repeated  the  joke.  It  got 
into  print  and  went  the  rounds.  From  that  time  on  the 
term  "  Uncle  Sam  "  was  used  facetiously  for  the  United 
States,  and  it  now  represents  the  nation. 

32.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "The  Three 
R's"? 

It  is  said  that  this  phrase  was  originated  by  Sir  William 
Curtis,  who  was  Lord  Mayor  of  London  in  1795.  A  writer 
in  Notes  and  Queries  says:  "  I  remember  an  aged  member 
of  the  corporation,  now  deceased,  asserting  that  Sir  Wil- 
liam Curtis,  in  the  days  when  Dr.  Bell  and  the  Quaker 
Lancaster  were  pleading  on  behalf  of  increased  facilities 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  17 

for  the  education  of  the  poor,  gave  as  a  toast  at  a  city 
dinner,  '  The  three  R's.'  My  friend  assured  me  that  Sir 
William  Curtis,  although  a  man  of  limited  education,  was 
very  shrewd,  and  not  so  ignorant  as  to  suppose  his  pre- 
sumed orthography  was  correct.  He  chose  the  phrase  in 
the  above  form  purely  for  a  jocular  reason." 

33.     How  is  an  umbrella  put  together? 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  prepare  the  stick  to  re- 
ceive the  cover.  The  two  springs  are  first  put  in,  one  at 
the  top  to  hold  the  umbrella  oj^en,  and  one  at  the  bottom 
to  keep  it  closed.  The  slots  in  which  the  springs  are  put 
are  cut  by  a  machine.  This  is  a  very  delicate  and  danger- 
ous operation,  as,  unless  great  care  is  taken,  the  man  who 
does  it  is  liable  to  lose  his  fingers.  After  this  is  done  an- 
other man  takes  the  stick,  and  with  a  knife  prepares  it  to 
receive  the  spring.  The  springs  are  then  set,  and  the 
ferrule  is  put  on  at  the  top  of  the  stick.  If  the  handle  is  of 
different  material  from  the  stick,  it  is  now  fastened  to  it. 
All  of  the  counters  in  the  work-rooms  are  carpeted  to 
prevent  the  sticks  from  being  scratched.  After  the  handle 
is  securely  fastened  and  a  baud  put  on  to  finish  or  orna- 
ment the  stick,  it  is  sent  to  the  frame-maker.  He  fastens 
the  stretchers  to  the  ribs,  strings  the  top  end  of  the  ribs  on 
a  wire,  and  fits  into  the  "runner  notch."  He  then  strings 
the  lower  ends  of  the  "  stretchers  "  on  a  wire  and  fastens 
with  the  "runner."  When  both  of  the  "runners"  are 
securely  fixed,  the  umbrella  is  ready  for  the  cover.  The 
cutter  lays  his  cloth  very  smoothly  on  a  long  counter,  fold- 
ing it  until  the  fabric  is  sixteen  layers  deep  and  several 
yards  long.  The  edges  have  been  previously  hemmed  on  a 
sewing  machine.  When  everything  is  ready,  the  cutter 
2 


18      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

lays  on  his  i)attern  (this  is  usually  made  of  wood  tipped 
with  brass),  and  with  a  very  sharp  knife  cuts  along  the  sides 
of  it,  thus  cutting  two  covei-s  at  once.  Every  piece  is  then 
carefully  examined,  to  see  that  there  is  no  bad  place  or 
hole  in  it.  A  man  then  carefully  stretches  the  edges,  that 
it  may  fit  the  frame.  The  pieces  are  then  stitched  on  a 
sewing  machine,  in  what  is  called  a  pudding-bag  seam. 
The  tension  is  very  carefully  adjusted  so  that  the  thread 
will  not  break  when  the  cover  is  stretched  over  the  frame. 
The  cover  is  first  fastened  to  the  frame  at  the  top  and 
bottom.  The  umbrella  is  then  half  raised,  and  held  in 
position  by  a  small  tool  for  that  purpose,  while  the  seams 
are  fastened  to  the  ribs.  When  this  is  done,  the  tie  is 
sewed  on,  tlie  cap  is  put  on,  and  the  umbrella  is  entirely 
put  together.  A  woman  then  takes  it  and  presses  the 
edges  with  a  warm  flat-iron.  Afterward  another  woman 
takes  it  and  inspects  it  before  a  very  strong  light  to  make 
sure  that  it  is  perfect.  If  it  bears  this  inspection  it  is  neatly 
adjusted  about  the  handle,  the  tie  fastened,  and  it  is  then 
ready  for  a  purchaser. 

34.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  I  acknowledge 
the  corn  "  ? 

This  phrase  originated  in  the  following  manner:  In 
1828,  Mr.  Stewart,  a  member  of  Congress,  said  in  a  speech 
that  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Indiana  sent  their  hay-stacks, 
corn-fields,  and  fodder  to  New  York  and  Philadelphia  for 
sale.  Mr.  Wickliffe,  of  Kentucky,  called  him  to  order, 
declaring  that  those  States  did  not  send  hay-stacks,  corn- 
fields, and  fodder  to  Kew  York  and  Philadelphia  for  sale. 
"Well,  what  do  you  send?  "  asked  Mr.  Stewart.  "Why, 
horses,  mules,  cattle,  and  hogs.  "    "  Well,  what  makes  your 


QUEER    QUESTIONS   AND    READY    REPLIES.  19 

horses,  mules,  cattle,  and  hogs  ?  You  feed  $100  worth  of 
hay  to  a  horse.  You  just  animate  and  get  upon  the  top  of 
your  hay-stack  and  ride  off  to  market.  How  is  it  with  your 
cattle?  You  make  one  of  them  carry  $.50  worth  of  hay  or 
grass  to  the  Eastern  market.  How  much  corn  does  it  take, 
at  thirty- three  cents  a  bushel,  to  fatten  a  hog  ?  "  "  Why, 
thirty  bushels."  "  Then  you  put  thirty  bushels  into  the 
shape  of  a  hog  and  make  it  walk  to  the  Eastern  market." 
Then  Mr.  Wickliffe  jumped  up  and  said,  "  Mr.  Speaker, 
I  acknowledge  the  corn." 

Another  account  of  the  origin  of  this  phrase  is  as  fol- 
lows: Some  years  ago,  a  raw  customer,  from  the  upper 
country,  determined  to  try  his  fortune  at  New  Orleans. 
Accordingly  he  provided  himself  with  two  flat-boats,  one 
laden  with  corn  and  the  other  with  potatoes,  and  down 
the  river  he  went.  The  night  after  his  arrival  he  went  up 
town  to  a  gambling-house.  Of  course  he  commenced  bet- 
ting, and  his  luck  proving  unfortunate,  he  lost.  When  his 
money  was  gone,  he  bet  his  "  truck";  and  the  corn  and 
potatoes  followed  the  money.  At  last,  when  completely 
cleaned  out,  he  returned  to  his  boats  at  the  wharf,  when 
the  evidences  of  a  new  misfortune  presented  themselves. 
Through  some  accident  or  other,  the  flat-boat  containing 
the  corn  was  sunk,  and  a  total  loss.  Consoling  himself  as 
well  as  he  could,  he  went  to  sleep,  dreaming  of  gamblers, 
potatoes,  and  corn.  It  was  scarcely  sunrise,  however, when 
he  was  disturbed  by  the  "child  of  chance,"  who  had  ar- 
rived to  take  possession  of  the  two  boats  as  his  winnings. 
Slowly  awakening  from  his  sleep,  our  hero,  rubbing  his 
eyes  and  looking  the  man  in  the  face,  replied,  "  Stranger, 
I  acknowledge  the  corn,  —  take  'em;  but  the  potatoes  you 
can'i  have,  by  thunder  1 " 


20  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

35.  How  did  a  flight  of  birds  change  the  histoi-y  of 
America  ? 

When  Columbus  sailed  westward  over  the  broad  ex- 
panse of  the  unknown  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  he  expected 
to  reach  Zipangu  (Japan).  Having  sailed  westward  from 
Gomera,  one  of  the  Canary  Islands,  for  many  days,  he 
grew  uneasy  at  not  having  discovered  Zipangu,  which,  ac- 
cording to  his  reckoning,  he  should  have  met  with  two 
hundred  and  sixteen  nautical  miles  more  to  the  east.  After 
a  long  debate,  he  yielded  to  the  opinion  of  Martin  Alonzo 
Pinzon,  the  commander  of  the  Pinta,  and  steered  to  the 
southwest.  Pinzon  was  guided  in  his  opinion  by  a  flight  of 
parrots  towards  the  southwest.  The  effect  of  this  chnnge 
in  his  course  curiously  exemplifies  the  influence  of  small 
and  apparently  trivial  events  on  the  world's  history.  If 
Columbus,  resisting  the  counsel  of  Pinzon,  had  kept  his 
original  route,  he  would  have  entered  the  warm  current  of 
the  Gulf  Stream,  have  reached  Florida,  and  thence  per- 
haps have  been  carried  to  Cape  Hatteras  and  Virginia. 
The  result  would  probably  have  been  to  give  the  present 
United  States  a  Roman  Catholic  Spanish  population,  in- 
stead of  a  Protestant  English  one,  a  circumstance  of  im- 
measurable importance.  "  Never,"  says  Humboldt,  "  had 
the  flight  of  birds  more  important  consequences;  It  may 
be  said  to  have  determined  the  first  settlements  on  the 
new  continent,  and  its  distribution  between  the  Latin  and 
Germanic  races." 

36.  When  did  an  American  race  have  recourse  to  a 
stratagem  similar  to  the  celebrated  wooden  horse  of 
Troy? 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  21 

In  order  to  destroy  the  last  settlement  of  the  Northmen 
in  Greenland,  "  the  savages,"  says  Dr.  I.  I.  Hayes,  the 
famous  Arctic  explorer,  "  had  recourse  to  a  stratagem 
worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  celebrated  wooden  horse 
of  Troy."  Over  an  immense  raft  of  boats,  they  constructed 
an  immense  scaffolding,  and  covered  it  with  white  seal- 
skins to  make  it  look  like  an  iceberg.  Filled  with  armed 
men,  it  floated  down  the  fiord.  It  was  seen  by  the  sentinels 
and  other  people  of  the  settlement,  but  was  supposed  by 
them  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  harmless  mass  of  ice,  till 
it  was  run  aground  near  the  church.  Then  the  Esquimaux 
rushed  out  of  it,  slaughtered  the  inhabitants,  and  destroyed 
the  settlement. 

37.  Which  was  the  first  land  discovered  by  Columbus  ? 

The  spot  which  he  first  reached  was  a  small  island, 
called  by  the  natives  (iuanahani,  to  which  Columbus  gave 
the  name  of  San  Salvador,  the  Spanish  for  Holy  Saviour. 
This  was  the  island  now  known  as  Watling  Island,  as  was 
suggested  by  Muiioz  in  1793,  and  proved  by  Mr.  R. 
H.  Major  in  1870,  and  not  the  island  now  called  San 
Salvador. 

38.  With  whom  did  the  name  America  originate  ? 

In  a  paper  distinguished  for  great  learning  and  able 
criticism,  Mr.  Major  has  shown  that  the  word  "America" 
first  appeared  on  the  Mappe  Monde,  drawn  l\y  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  and  he  explains  the  circumstances  which  led  to  its 
adoption.  The  first  map  known  to  exist  with  the  New  World 
delineated  upon  it  is  that  drawn  by  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  the 
pilot  of  Columbus  in  his  second  voyage.    This  map  is 


22  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

dated  1500.  Juan  de  la  Cosa  was  with  Ojeda  and  Vespucci, 
and  afterwards  with  Ojeda  in  his  last  and  ill-fated  expedi- 
tion. In  May,  1507,  just  ayear  after  the  death  of  Columbus, 
one  Martin  Waldseemuller  (Hylacomulus)  wrote  a  book 
called  Cosmographies  Introduction  to  which  was  appended  a 
Latin  edition  of  the  four  voyages  of  Vespucci.  In  this 
book,  which  was  published  at  St.  Die  in  Lorraine,  he  pro- 
posed that  the  name  America  should  be  given  to  the  New 
World.  In  1508  the  first  engraved  map  containing  the  New 
World  appeared  in  an  edition  of  Ptolemy  printed  at  Rome, 
but  it  does  not  bear  the  name  of  America.  But  in  1509  the 
name  America,  pi'oposed  by  Hylacomulus  in  1507,  appears 
as  if  it  was  already  accepted  as  a  well-known  denomination, 
in  an  anonymous  work  entitled  Globus  MumJi^  published  at 
Strasburg.  The  Mappe  Monde  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  to 
which  Major  assigns  the  date  1514,  has  the  name  of  America 
across  the  South  American  continent. 


39.  What  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  "ring- 
finger  "  ? 

The  fingers,  as  anciently  known,  are:  thumb;  toucher, 
foreman,  or  pointer;  long  man,  or  long  finger;  lich-man, 
or  ring-finger;  little  man,  or  little  finger.  The  Romans 
believed  that  a  nerve  ran  through  the  ring-finger  to  the 
heart.  Both  they  and  the  Greeks  called  it  the  medical 
finger,  and  used  it  for  stirring  their  mixtures,  believing 
that  nothing  harmful  could  touch  it  without  despatching 
a  warning  to  the  heart.  The  notion  is  said  still  to  exist 
in  some  parts  of  England  that  salve  must  not  be  applied 
to  the  fiesh  or  the  skin  scratched  with  any  but  the  ring- 
finsrer. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  23 

40.  Who  was  ' '  The  Beautiful  Parricide  "  ? 
Beatrice  Cenci  was  so  called.     According  to  Muratoi'i, 

her  father,  Francesco,  was  twice  married,  Beatrice  being 
his  daughter  by  the  first  wife.  After  his  second  marriage 
he  treated  the  children  of  his  first  wife  in  a  revolting 
manner,  and  was  even  accused  of  hiring  bandits  to  mur- 
der two  of  his  sons  on  their  return  from  Spain.  The 
beauty  of  Beatrice  inspired  him  with  tlie  horrible  and 
incestuous  desire  to  possess  her  person;  with  mingled 
lust  and  hate,  he  persecuted  her  from  day  to  day,  until 
circumstances  enabled  him  to  consummate  his  brutality. 
The  unfortunate  girl  besought  the  help  of  her  relatives 
and  of  Pope  Clement  VII.,  but  did  not  receive  it,  where- 
upon, in  company  with  her  step-mother  and  her  brother, 
Giacomo,  she  planned  and  executed  the  murder  of  her 
unnatural  parent.  The  crime  was  discovered,  and  b(jth 
she  and  Giacomo  were  put  to  the  torture.  Giacomo  con- 
fessed, but  Beatrice  persisted  in  the  declaration  that  she 
was  innocent.  All,  however,  were  condemned,  and  put 
to  death  August,  1599,  in  spite  of  efforts  made  in  their 
behalf. 

41.  "What  was  the  Diamond  Necklace  Affair? 

This  wonderful  piece  of  jewelry,  m'ade  by  Boehmer, 
the  court  jeweller  of  Paris,  was  intended  for  Madame  du 
Barry,  the  favorite  of  Louis  XV.  On  the  death  of  the 
monarch,  however,  she  was  excluded  from  court,  and  the 
bawble  was  left  on  the  jeweller's  hands.  Its  immense 
value,  1,800,000  livres  (.f400,000),  precluded  any  one  from 
becoming  its  purchaser,  but  in  1785  Boehmer  offered  it  to 
Marie  Antoinette  for  $320,000,  a  considerable  reduction. 
The  queen  much  desired  the  necklace,  but  was  deterred 


24  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AXD    READY    REPLIES. 

from  its  purchase  by  the  great  expense.  Learning  this, 
the  Countess  de  la  Motte  forged  the  queen's  signature, 
and,  by  pretending  tliat  her  Majesty  had  an  attachment 
for  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan,  the  queen's  almoner,  persuaded 
him  to  conclude  a  bargain  with  the  jeweller  for  S280,000. 
De  la  Motte  thus  obtained  possession  of  the  necklace  and 
made  off  with  it.  For  this  she  was  tried  in  1786  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  branded  on  both  shoulders  and  imprisoned 
for  life,  but  she  subsequently  escaped  and  fled  to  London. 
The  cardinal  was  tried  and  acquitted  the  same  year.  The 
French  public  at  that  time  believed  that  the  queen  was  a 
party  to  the  fraud,  but  no  conclusive  evidence  was  ever 
adduced  to  support  the  charge.  Talleyrand  wrote  at  the 
time,  "I  shall  not  be  surprised  if  this  miserable  affair 
overturn  the  throne."  His  prediction  was,  to  a  great 
extent,  fulfilled. 

42.  Who  was  the  "Patriot  Preacher  of  the  Revo- 
lution "  ? 

The  Rev.  John  Peter  Gabriel  Muhlenberg  (1746-1807) 
has  been  so  termed.  He  was  educated  at  Halle,  ordained 
to  the  ministry  in  England,  and  in  1772  became  Lutheran 
minister  of  Woodstock,  Va.  He  soon  became  a  leading 
spirit  among  those  opposed  to  British  oppression.  His 
last  sermon  was  upon  the  duty  men  owe  to  their  country. 
In  concluding,  he  said:  "There  is  a  time  for  all  things,  a 
time  to  preach  and  (with  a  voice  that  echoed  like  a  trum- 
pet blast  through  the  church)  a  time  to  fight,  and  now  is 
the  time  to  fight."  Then,  laying  aside  his  sacerdotal 
gown,  he  stood  before  his  flock  in  the  full  regimental 
dress  of  a  Virginia  colonel.  He  ordered  the  drums  to  be 
beaten  at  the  church  door  for  recruits;  and  almost  his 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  25 

entire  ma/e  audience,  capable  of  bearing  arms,  joined  his 
standard.  Nearly  three  hundred  men  enlisted  under  his 
banner  on  that  day.  The  scene  has  been  described  in 
verse  by  Thomas  Buchanan  Read  in  the  "  Wagoner  of  the 
Alleghanies."  In  February,  1777,  Congress  promoted 
Muhlenberg  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general;  and  at 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  made  a  major-general. 

43.  When  does  Easter  come  ? 

The  Council  of  Nice  (325  A.  D.)  authoritatively  declared 
for  the  whole  Church,  Easter  to  be  always  the  first  Sunday 
after  the  full  moon  which  occurs  on  or  next  after  March 
21 ;  and  if  the  full  moon  happen  on  a  Sunday,  Easter  is 
to  be  the  Sunday  following. 

44.  Where  are  the  highest  tides  found? 

The  high  tides  that  rise  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy  are  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  The  funnel-shaped  and 
rapidly  narrowing  entrance  to  the  bay  enables  a  dispro- 
portionally  long  tidal  wave  to  enter,  and  as  it  becomes 
narrower  and  shallower  the  height  necessarily  increases. 
The  tide,  which  at  the  entrance  is  eighteen  feet,  rushes 
with  great  fury  up  the  bay,  and  swells  to  the  enormous 
height  of  sixty  feet,  and  even  to  seventy  feet  in  the  higli- 
est  spring  tides.  With  such  velocity  does  it  rush  up  the 
constantly  narrowing  bay,  that  hogs  and  other  animals 
feeding  along  the  shore  are  frequently  overtaken  by  it. 

45.  In  what  country  are  nearly  all  of  the  clergymen 
blacksmiths  ? 

The  clei'gymen  of  Iceland  are  so  miserably  paid  thnt 
they  are  generally  obliged  to  do  the  hardest  work  of  day 


26  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 

laborers  to  preserve  their  families  from  starving.  Besides 
making  hay  and  tending  cattle,  they  are  all  blacksmiths 
from  necessity,  and  the  best  horse-shoers  on  the  island. 
The  feet  of  an  Iceland  horse  would  be  cut  to  pieces  over 
the  sharp  rocks  and  lava  if  not  well  shod.  The  church  is 
the  great  resort  of  the  pea.^antry;  and  should  any  of  the 
numerous  horses  have  lost  a  shoe,  or  be  likely  to  do  so, 
the  clergyman  dons  his  apron,  lights  his  little  charco;;! 
fire  in  his  smithy,  one  of  which  is  attached  to  every  par- 
sonage, and  sets  the  animal  on  its  legs  again.  1"he  task 
of  getting  the  charcoal  is  not  the  least  of  his  labors,  for 
whatever  the  distance  may  be  to  the  nearest  thicket  of 
dwarf  birch,  he  must  go  thither  to  burn  the  Avood,  and 
bring  it  home  when  charred.  His  hut  is  scarcely  better 
than  that  of  the  meanest  fisherman;  a  bed,  a  rickety 
table,  a  few  chairs,  and  a  chest  or  two  are  all  his  furni- 
ture. This  is,  as  long  as  he  lives,  the  condlliou  of  the 
Icelandic  clergyman,  and  learning,  virtue,  and  even 
genius  are  but  too  frequently  buried  under  this  squalid 
poverty.  In  no  Christian  country,  perhaps  with  tlie  sole 
exception  of  Lapland,  are  the  clergy  so  poor  as  in  Iceland, 
but  in  none  do  they  exert  a  more  beneficial  influence. 

46.  What  noted  poet's  bald  head  caused  his  death? 
The  ancient  writers  are  unanimous  in  regard   to  the 

manner  of  the  death  of  ^schylus  (525-456  B.  C),  the 
father  of  the  Greek  tragic  drama.  An  eagle,  say  they, 
mistaking  the  poet's  bald  head  for  a  stone,  let  a  tortoise 
fall  upon  it  to  break  the  shell,  and  so  fulfilled  an  oracle, 
according  to  which  ^schylus  was  fated  to  die  by  a  blow 
from  heaven. 

47.  Who  discovered  the  Northwest  Passage  ? 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  27 

In  1850  an  expedition  was  sent  out  from  England  under 
the  comnaand  of  Sir  Robert  Jolm  Le  Mesurier  McClure,  to 
whom  belongs  the  honor  of  the  discovery  of  this  long- 
sought  passage.  Having  passed  through  Behring's  Strait  in 
August  of  this  year,  McClure' s  ship,  the  Investigator,  was 
ice-bound  in  the  middle  of  October.  A  land  party  from 
the  ship  discovered  the  Northwest  Passage,  Oct.  26, 
from  Mount  Observation,  latitude  73  degrees  30  minutes 
39  seconds  north;  longitude  114  degrees  39  minutes 
west.  After  this  discovery  the  party  returned  to  the  Inves- 
tigator; but  that  vessel  was  not  destined  herself  to  sail 
homeward  through  the  passage  discovered  by  her  com- 
mander. Three  winters  were  spent  in  the  ice ;  but  in  Api'il, 
1853,  a  relief  party  onboard  of  H.  M.  S.  Eesohcle  appeared, 
having  discovered  McClure'' s  whereabouts  by  means  of  a 
cairn  left  by  him  in  Winter  Harbor.  Commander  McClure 
now  resolved  to  abandon  his  ship  altogether.  He  reached 
England  on  Sept.  28,1854.  His  first  reward  was  to  receive 
his  commission  of  post-captain,  dated  back  to  the  day  of 
the  discovery  of  the  Northwest  Passage.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  received  from  her  Majesty  the  honors  of  knight- 
hood, and  a  reward  of  £5,000  was  voted  him  by  Parliament. 
Both  the  English  and  French  geographical  societies  gave 
him  a  gold  medal.  A  reward  of  £10,000  was  also  granted 
to  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Investigator,  as  a  token  of 
national  approbation  of  the  men  who  had  discovered  a 
Northwest  Passage  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

48.  Who  was  the  first  child  born  of  English  parents 
m  New  England? 

Peregrine  White,  son  of  William  White  and  of  his  wife 
Susanna,  the  first  child  born  of  English  parents  in   New 


28  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

England,  was  born  on  board  the  Mayflower  in  the  harbor 
of  Cape  Cod,  Nov.  20, 1620.  He  died  at  Marshfield  in 
1704. 

49.  Who  was  the  ' '  White  Lady  "  ? 

A  being  who,  according  to  popular  legend,  appears  in 
many  of  the  castles  of  German  princes  and  nobles,  by 
night  as  well  as  by  day,  when  any  important  event,  whether 
joyful  or  sad,  but  particularly  when  the  deathof  any  mem- 
ber of  the  family  is  imminent.  She  is  regarded  as  the 
ancestress  of  the  race,  shows  herself  always  in  snow-while 
garments,  carries  a  bunch  of  keys  at  her  side,  and  some- 
times rocks  and  watches  over  the  children  at  night  when 
their  nurses  sleep.  The  earliest  appearance  of  this  appari- 
tion spoken  of  was  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  was  famous 
under  the  name  of  Bertha  of  Rosenberg  (in  Bohemia).  In 
the  castle  of  Berlin  she  is  said  to  have  been  seen  in  1628, 
and  again  in  1840  and  185G. 

50.  In  what  cities  are  there  no  elections  held? 

Washington  and  Georgetown,  D.  C.  By  the  law  of  1874 
these  municipalities  were  abolished,  and  the  elective  fran- 
chise suppressed  throughout  the  District  of  Columbia. 
The  district  is  under  the  control  of  Congress,  but  has  no 
representatives;  and  its  municipal  affairs  are  regulated  by 
three  commissioners  appointed  by  the  President  and 
Senate. 

51 .  Which  is  the  "  City  of  the  Red  Staff "  ? 

Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana.  It  is  said  that  when  the  place 
was  first  settled,  there  was  growing  on  the  spot  a  cypress 
(the  l)ark  of  which  tree  is  of  a  reddish  color}  of  immense 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  29 

size  and  prodigious  height,  entirely  free  from  branches, 
except  at  its  very  top.  One  of  the  settlers  playfully 
remarked  that  this  tree  would  make  a  handsome  cane; 
whence  the  place  has  since  been  called  Baton  Rouge,  that 
is,  "  red  staff." 

52.  How  many  languages  are  there  ? 

The  various  languages,  dialects,  etc.,  ancient  and  modem, 
are  estimated  to  be  3,004.  They  are  distributed  as  follows: 
Asiatic, 937;  European, 587;  African, 276;  American,  1,264 

53.  What  noted  physiologist  estimated  one  hundred 
years  as  man's  normal  term  of  life  ? 

Marie  Jean  Pierre  Flourens  (1794-1867),  the  celebrated 
French  physiologist,  asserts,  in  one  of  his  numerous  publi- 
cations, that  the  normal  period  of  man's  life  is  one  century. 
It  is,  he  argues,  a  fact  in  natural  history,  that  the  length  of 
each  animal's  life  is  in  exact  proportion  to  the  period  the 
animal  takes  in  growing.  Monsieur  Flourens  has  ascer- 
tained this  period,  and  based  upon  it  the  theory  that  it 
depends  on  "  the  union  of  the  bones  to  their  epiphyses. 
As  long,"  he  observes,  ''as  the  bones  are  not  united  to 
their  epiphyses,  the  animal  grows;  as  soon  as  the  bones 
are  united  to  their  epiphyses,  the  animal  ceases  to  grow." 
Now,  in  man,  according  to  this  philosopher,  the  union  of 
the  bones  and  the  epiphyses  takes  place  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  that,  as  among  all  animals,  life  is  or  should  be 
prolonged  to  five  times  the  period  they  take  in  attaining 
their  full  growth,  the  normal  duration  of  the  life  of  man  is 
consequently  one  century.  Applied  to  domestic  animals, 
this  theory  appears  to  be  fully  verified.     In  the  camel,  the 


30  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

union  of  the  boues  with  the  epiphyses  takes  place  at  eight 
years  of  age,  and  the  animal  lives  to  be  forty,  in  the  horse, 
at  five  years,  and  he  lives  to  be  twenty-five;  in  the  ox,  at 
four  years,  and  he  lives  to  be  twenty,  in  the  dog,  at  two 
years,  and  he  lives  to  be  ten  or  twelve  years.  In  view  of 
these  conclusions,  Flourens  modifies  considerably  the 
different  stages  of  man's  existence.  "  I  prolong  the  dura- 
tion of  infancy,"  he  says,  "  up  to  ten  years,  because  it  is 
from  nine  to  ten  that  the  second  dentition  is  terminated. 
I  prolong  adolescence  up  to  twenty  years,  because  it  is  at 
that  age  that  the  development  of  the  bones  ceases,  and 
consequently  the  increase  of  the  body  in  length.  I  prolong 
youth  up  to  the  age  of  forty,  because  it  is  only  at  that  age 
that  the  increase  of  the  body  in  bulk  terminates.  After 
forty,  the  body  does  not  grow,  properly  speaking,  the 
augmentation  of  its  volume  which  then  takes  place  is  not 
a  veritable  organic  development,  but  a  simple  accumulation 
of  fat.  After  the  growth,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  the 
development  in  length  and  bulk  has  terminated,  man  enters 
into  what  I  call  the  period  of  invigoration,  that  is,  when  all 
our  parts  become  more  complete  and  firm,  our  functions 
more  assured,  and  the  whole  organism  more  perfect.  This 
period  lasts  to  sixty-five  or  seventy  years,  and  then  begins 
old  age,  which  lasts  for  thirty  years."  When  it  was  asked 
of  Flourens  why  so  few  attained  to  the  age  of  a  century, 
he  replied,  "  Man  does  not  die!  With  our  manners,  our 
passions,  otir  torments,  he  kills  himself!  " 

54.     Who  was  the  "American  Pope  of  Rome  "  ? 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  District  of  Columbia 
was  an  Englishman  named  Pope,  who  bought  laud  and 
named  the  stream  flowino;  through  it  the  Tiber.     To  the 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  31 

eminence  on  which  the  Capitol  now  stands  he  gave  the 
name  of  Capitoline  Hill.  He  called  his  whole  plantation 
Rome,  and  signed  himself  "  Pope  of  Rome." 

55.  Which  was  the  most  deadly  epidemic  ever 
known  ? 

The  Black  Death,  which  in  the  fourteenth  century  des- 
olated the  world.  It  took  this  name  from  the  black  spots, 
symptomatic  of  a  putrid  decomposition  which  at  one  of 
ils  stages  appeared  upon  the  skin.  Among  the  symptoms 
may  be  noticed  great  imposthumes  on  the  thighs  and 
arms,  and  smaller  boils  on  the  arms  and  face;  in  many 
cases  black  spots  all  over  the  body;  and  in  some,  affections 
of  the  head,  stupor,  and  palsy  of  the  tongue,  which  be- 
came black  as  if  suffused  with  blood;  burning  and  uuslak- 
able  thirst;  putrid  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  attended  l)y 
acute  pains  in  the  chest,  the  expectoration  of  blood,  and 
a  fetid,  pestiferous  breath.  On  the  first  appearance  of 
the  plague  in  Europe,  fever,  the  evacuation  of  blood,  and 
carbuncular  affection  of  the  lungs  brought  death  before 
the  other  symptoms  could  be  developed;  afterwards,  boils 
and  buboes  characterized  its  fatal  course  in  Europe,  as 
in  the  East.  In  almost  all  cases  its  victims  perished  in 
two  or  three  days  after  being  attacked.  Its  spots  and 
tumors  were  the  seals  of  a  doom  which  medicine  had  no 
power  to  avert,  and  which  in  despair  many  anticipated 
by  self-slaughter.  The  precise  date  of  the  appearance 
of  the  plague  in  China  is  unknown,  but  from  1333  till 
1348  that  great  country  suffered  a  terrible  mortality  from 
droughts,  famines,  floods,  earthquakes  which  swallowed 
mountains,  and  swarms  of  innumerable  locusts;  and  in 
the  last  few  years  of  that  period  from  the  plague.     Dur- 


32      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

ing  the  same  time  Europe  manifested  sympathy  with 
the  changes  which  affected  the  East.  The  theory  iis, 
that  this  great  'tellurian  activity,  accompanied  by  the 
decomposition  of  vast  organic  masses,  myriads  of  bodies 
of  men,  brutes,  and  locusts,  produced  some  change  in 
the  atmosphere  unfavorable  to  life;  and  some  writers, 
speaking  of  the  established  progress  of  the  plague  from 
east  to  west,  say  that  the  impure  air  was  actually  visible 
as  it  approached  with  its  burden  of  death.  In  1340  the 
Black  Death  first  appeared  in  Italy.  It  spread  throughout 
Christendom  and  raged  during  many  years,  causing  un- 
precedented mortality.  Thousands  perished  in  Germany. 
la  London  alone  two  hundred  persons  were  buried  daily 
in  the  Charter  House  yard  in  1348.  The  horrors  of  the 
time  were  further  heightened  by  the  fearful  persecutions 
to  which  the  Jews  were  subjected,  from  a  popular  belief 
that  the  pestilence  was  owing  to  their  poisoning  the  pub- 
lic wells.  The  people  rose  to  exterminate  the  Hebrew 
race,  of  whom,  in  Mayence  alone,  twelve  thousand  were 
cruelly  murdered.  They  were  killed  by  fire  and  by  tor- 
ture wherever  they  could  be  found,  and  for  them  to  the 
terrors  of  the  plague  were  added  those  of  a  populace 
everywhere  infuriated  against  them.  In  some  places  the 
Jewish  people  immolated  themselves  in  masses;  in  others, 
not  a  soul  of  them  survived  the  assaults  of  their  enemies. 
No  adequate  notion  can  be  conveyed  of  these  horrors. 

56.  What  noted  national  hymn  was  composed 
(words  and  music)  in  a  single  night  ? 

The  Marseillaise,  the  name  by  which  the  grand  song  of 
the  first  French  Revolution  is  known.  The  Circumstances 
which  led  to  its  composition  are  as  follows:  In  the  begin- 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  33 

ning  of  1792,  when  a  column  of  volunteers  was  about  to 
leave  Strasburg,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  who  gave  a  ban- 
quet on  the  occasion,  asked  an  officer  of  artillery,  named 
Rouget  de  Lisle,  to  compose  a  song  in  their  honor.  His 
request  was  complied  with,  and  the  result  was  the  Marseil- 
laise, —  both  verse  and  music  being  the  work  of  a  single 
night.  De  Lisle  entitled  the  piece  Chant  de  Guerre  de 
VArmee  du  Rhin.  Next  day  it  was  sung  with  the  raptur- 
ous enthusiasm  that  only  Frenchmen  can  exhibit,  and 
instead  of  six  hundred  volunteers,  one  thousand  marched 
out  of  Strasburg.  Soon  from  the  whole  army  of  the 
North  resounded  the  thrilling  and  fiery  words,  ^'^  Aux 
armes!  Aux  armes!  "  Nevertheless  the  song  was  still 
unknown  at  Paris,  and  was  first  introduced  there  by  Bar- 
baroux,  when  he  summoned  the  youth  of  Marseilles  to 
the  capital  in  July,  1792.  It  was  received  with  transports 
by  the  Parisians,  who,  ignorant  of  its  real  authorship, 
named  it  Hymne  des  Marseillais,  which  name  it  has  ever 
since  borne. 

57.  Who  was  the  "  Queen  of  Tears  "  ? 

Tbis  name  was  given  to  Mary  of  Modena,  the  second 
wife  of  James  II.,  of  England.  "Her  eyes,"  says 
Noble,  "  became  eternal  fountains  of  sorrow  for  that 
crown  her  ill  policy  contributed  to  lose." 

58.  Who  was  called  the  "  Bravest  of  the  Brave  "? 

The  celebrated  Marshal  Ney  (1769-1815)  was  so  called 
by  the  French  troops  at  Friedland  (1807),  on  account  of 
his  fearless  bravery.  He  was  in  command  of  the  right 
wing,  which  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  and  stormed  the 
town.  Napoleon  as  he  watched  him  passing  unterrified 
3 


31  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

through  a  storm  of  balls,  exclaimed,  "  That  man  is  a 
lion!"  and  henceforth  the  army  styled  him,  "ies 
Braves  des  Braves.'''' 

59.  What  are  the  different  colors  used  by  different 
nations  for  mourning  ? 

Black.  The  color  of  mourning  in  Europe,  also  in  an- 
cient Greece  and  Rome. 

Black  and  White  striped.  Expressive  of  sorrow  and 
hope  combined;  worn  by  the  South  Sea  Islanders. 

Grayish  Brown.  The  color  of  the  earth;  worn  in 
Ethiopia. 

Pale  Brown.  The  color  of  withered  leaves;  worn  in 
Persia. 

Sky-blue.  Expressive  of  hope  for  the  deceased;  worn 
in  Syria,  Cappadocia,  and  Armenia. 

Deep  Blue.  The  mourning  of  Bokhara,  in  Central  Asia; 
worn  also  by  the  Romans  under  the  Republic. 

Purple  and  Violet.  Denotes  royalty;  worn  for  cardi- 
nals and  the  kings  of  France.  Violet  is  the  mourning  of 
Turkey. 

White.  Mourning  of  China.  Henry  VIII.  wore  white 
for  Anne  Boleyn;  until  1498  it  was  the  mourning  of  Spain. 

Yellow.  Mourning  worn  in  Egypt  and  Bunnah.  Anne 
Boleyn  wore  yellow  for  Catherine  of  Aragon.  Yellow 
may  be  regarded  as  a  token  of  exaltation. 

60.  During  which  Presidential  election  did  three 
States  not  vote  ?     Why  ? 

This  has  twice  occurred  within  our  history. 
1.     In   the   first   election,    Washington's,  1789,  North 
Carolina,  Rhode  Island,  and  New  York  did  not    vote. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  35 

North  Carolina  and  Rhode  Island  did  not  vote,  because 
they  had  not  then  ratified  the  Constitution;  and  New  York, 
because  it  had  failed  to  make  provisions  for  electors. 

2.  In  the  Presidential  election  of  1868,  when  Grant  was 
elected  for  his  first  term,  "Virginia,  Mississippi,  and  Texas 
did  not  vote,  as  they  had  not  been  readmited  since  the 
Rebellion. 

61.  When  does  a  gallon  of  vinegar  weigh  more,  in 
summer  or  in  winter  ? 

.  A  gallon  of  vinegar  weighs  more  in  winter  than  in 
summer,  because  the  cold  causes  the  vinegar  to  contract, 
so  that  the  measure  holds  more  than  it  does  in  warm 
weather,  when  the  vinegar  is  not  so  dense. 

62.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  oath  of 
oflSce  administered  to  Washington  as  President  of  the 
United  States? 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1789,  by  Chancellor  Robert  R. 
Livingston,  in  Federal  Hall,  Wall  Street,  New  York. 

63.  What  city  was  commonly  called  the  "  Mistress 
of  the  World  "  ? 

Rome;  because  it  was  for  centuries  the  grandest,  rich- 
est, and  most  populous  of  European  cities,  and  was  re- 
garded as  the  capital  of  a  kind  of  universal  empire. 

64.  What  was  the  real  name  of  Pocahontas? 

Her  "  real  name  "  was  Matoax,  or  Matoaka,  but  it  was 
rarely  uttered,  as  the  Indians  believed  that  a  knowledge  of 
the  real  names  of  persons  gave  their  enemies  power  to 


36  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 

cast  spells  upon  them.  Pocahontas  was  her  household 
name,  by  which  she  was  generally  called,  though  she  had 
still  another  name,  Amonate. 

65.  What  Indian  chief  was  made  an  English  peer, 
and  with  what  title  ? 

Manteo,  the  faithful  Indian  chief,  after  receiving  Chris- 
tian baptism,  was,  "  by  the  commandmeut  of  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,"  invested  with  the  rank  of  baron,  and  the  title. 
Lord  of  Roanoke.  This  was  on  the  13th  of  August,  1587. 
Thus  even  in  the  American  wilderness  the  vanities  of 
life  were  not  forgotten. 

66.  What  are  violet  stones ? 

This  name  is  given  to  certain  stones  found  upon  high 
mountains,  as  in  Thuringia,  upon  the  Harz  Mountains, 
and  the  Riesengebirge,  which,  in  consequence  of  being 
covered  with  what  is  called  violet  moss,  emit  a  smell  like 
that  of  violets.  They  retain  this  smell  for  a  long  time, 
and  it  is  increased  by  moistening  them. 

67.  What  was  the  origin  oif  the  term  "  Brother 
Jonathan  "  ? 

When  George  Washington,  after  being  appointed  com- 
mander of  the  army  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  went  to 
Massachusetts  to  organize  it,  and  make  preparations  for 
the  defence  of  the  country,  he  found  a  great  want  of 
ammunition  and  other  means  necessary  to  meet  the  pow- 
erful foe  with  whom  he  had  to  contend,  and  great  difh- 
culty  in  obtaining  them.  If  attacked  in  such  condition, 
the  cause  at  once  might  be  hopeless.  On  one  occasion, 
at  that  anxious  period,  a  consultation  of  the  officers  and 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  37 

others  was  had,  when  it  seemed  no  way  could  be  devised 
to  make  such  preparation  as  was  necessary.  His  Excel- 
lency Jonathan  Trumbull,  the  elder,  was  then  governor  of 
Connecticut,  and  as  Washington  placed  the  greatest  reli- 
ance on  his  judgment  and  aid,  he  remarked,  "  We  must 
consult  Brother  Jonathan  on  the  subject."  He  did  so, 
and  the  governor  was  successful  in  supplying  many  of 
the  wants  of  the  army.  When  difficulties  afterward 
arose,  and  the  army  was  spread  over  the  country,  it  be- 
came a  by-word,  "  We  must  consult  Brother  Jonathan,'''' 
The  origin  of  the  expression  being  soon  lost  sight  of,  the 
name  Brother  Jonathan  came  to  be  regarded  as  the 
national  sobriquet. 

68.  What  is  the  national  beverage  of  Japan? 

This  beverage  is  brewed  from  rice,  and  is  called  sake. 
The  color  of  the  best  sake  resembles  very  pale  sherry; 
the  taste  is  rather  acid.  None  but  the  very  best  grain  is 
used  in  its  manufacture,  and  the  principal  breweries  are 
Itami,  Nada,  and  Hiogo,  all  in  the  province  of  Setsu. 

69.  What  was  the  "Kitchen  Cabinet" ? 

This  name  was  given  to  the  Hon.  Francis  P.  Blair  and 
to  the  Hon.  Amos  Kendall,  by  the  opponents  of  President 
Jackson's  administration.  Blair  was  the  editor  of  the 
Glohe,  the  organ  of  the  president,  and  Kendall  was  one 
of  the  principal  contributors  to  the  paper.  As  it  was 
necessary  for  Jackson  to  consult  frequently  with  these 
gentlemen,  and  as,  to  avoid  observation,  they  were  ac- 
customed, when  they  called  upon  him,  to  go  in  by  a  back 
door,  the  Whig  party  styled  them,  in  derision,  the  Kitchen 
Cabinet  J  alleging  that  it  was  by  their  advice  that  the  Presi- 


38      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

flent  removed  so  many  Whigs  from  office  and  put  Demo- 
crats in  their  place. 

70.  When  was  the  first  census  of  the  United  States 
taken,  and  what  was  the  population  ? 

The  first  census  was  taken  in  1790,  and  the  returns 
showed  a  population  of  3,929,214. 

71.  What  Vice-President  was  not  elected  by  the 
people  ? 

Richard  Mentor  Johnson,  of  Kentucky,  in  1837.  'No 
candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency  received  a  majority  of 
the  electoral  votes,  and,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
Constitution,  the  selection  fell  upon  the  Senate,  who 
elected  Johnson. 

72.  What  Vice-President  did  not  serve? 

William  Rufus  King,  of  Alabama,  who  was  elected  in 
1852.  Owing  to  his  poor  health,  he  went  to  Cuba  to  spend 
the  winter  of  1852-53.  The  oath  of  oiBce  was  adminis- 
tered to  him  there  by  the  American  consul,  but  he  died 
April  18,  1853,  soon  after  his  return  from  the  island  to 
his  plantation  at  Cahawaha,  Ala. 

73.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  Antarctic  Conti- 
nent discovered? 

On  Jan.  16, 1840,  by  the  United  States  Exploring  Expe- 
dition, under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Charles  Wilkes 
(1801-1877).  The  land  was  first  seen  from  the  mast-head. 
This  was  in  latitude  61°  30"  south,  and  longitude  161°  east. 
Wilkes  traced  the  coast  westward  to  101°  east,  but  was 
prevented  from  landing  by  an  impassable  barrier  of  ice. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  39 

74.  What  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  "  Order 
of  the  Garter"? 

The  Order  of  the  Garter  was  instituted  by  King  Edward 
III.  It  was  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  military  orders 
of  Europe.  Selden  says  that  it  "exceeds  in  majesty, 
honor,  and  fame  all  chivalrous  orders  in  the  world."  It 
is  said  to  have  been  devised  for  the  purpose  of  attracting 
to  the  king's  party  such  soldiers  of  fortune  as  might  be 
likely  to  aid  in  asserting  the  claim  which  he  was  tlien 
making  to  the  crown  of  France,  and  to  have  been  intended 
as  an  imitation  of  King  Arthur's  Round  Table.  The 
original  number  of  knights  of  the  garter  was  twenty-five, 
his  Majesty  himself  making  the  twenty-sixth.  The  story 
that  the  Countess  of  Salisbury  let  fall  her  garter  wlien 
dancing  with  the  king,  and  that  the  king  picked  it  up  and 
tied  it  round  his  own  leg,  but  that,  observing  the  jealous 
glances  of  the  queen,  he  restored  it  to  its  fair  owner, 
with  the  exclamation,  "■  Honi  soil  que  mal  y  pense  "  (Evil 
be  to  him  who  evil  thinks),  is  about  as  well  authenti- 
cated as  most  tales  of  the  kind,  and  has,  moreover,  in  its 
favor,  that  it  accounts  for  the  otherwise  unaccountable 
emblem  and  motto  of  the  order. 

75.  How  do  you  determine  the  years  covered  by 
a  given  Congress  ? 

To  determine  the  years  covered  by  a  given  Congress, 
double  the  number  of"  tlie  Congress,  and  add  the  product 
to  1789;  the  result  will  be  the  year  in  which  the  Congress 
closed.  Thus,  the  forty- fifth  Congress  equals  90  plus  1789 
equals  1879,  that  being  the  year  which  terminated  the 
forty-fifth  Congress,  on  the  4th  of  March.  To  find  the 
nmnber  of  a  Congress  sitting  in  any  given  year,  subtract 


40  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY  REPLIES. 

1789  from  the  year;  if  the  result  is  an  even  number,  half 
that  number  will  give  the  Congress  of  which  the  year  in 
question  will  be  the  closing  year.  If  the  result  is  an  odd 
number,  add  one  to  it,  and  half  the  result  will  give  the 
Congress,  of  which  the  year  in  question  will  be  the  first 
year. 

76.  What  town  was  the  birthplace  of  two  Presi- 
dents ? 

Braintree,  Massachusetts,  is  the  only  town  in  the  United 
States  which  can  claim  this  distinction.  John  Adams  and 
John  Quincy  Adams  were  both  born  in  this  town,  in  that 
part  which,  in  1792,  was  set  off  as  the  town  of  Quincy, 
where  the  Adams  family  still  have  their  summer  residence. 
John  Hancock  was  also  born  in  the  same  town. 

77.  Where  is  the  "Cave  of  the  Winds"? 

It  lies  in  behind  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  midway  be- 
tween the  American  and  the  Horseshoe  Falls.  It  is  fifty 
feet  wide,  seventy  feet  high,  and  thirty  feet  deep.  Visitors, 
provided  with  oil-skin  dresses  and  attendant  guides,  make 
the  tour  of  the  cave,  which  forms  an  exciting  and  novel 
amusement, 

78.  Give  the  color  and  portrait  of  each  of  our  post- 
age stamps. 

Ic.     Imperial  ultramarine  blue,  Benjamin  Franklin. 
2c.     Terra-cotta,  George  Washington. 
2c.  (old).    Vermilion,  Andrew  Jackson. 
3c.     Green,  George  Washington. 
4c.    Green,  Andrew  Jackson, 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  41 

5c.  Steel,  James  A.  Garfield. 

5c.  (old).     Blue,  Zachary  Taylor. 

6c.  Red,  Abraham  Lincoln. 

7c.  Vermilion,  Edwin  M.  Stanton. 

10c.  Chocolate,  Thomas  Jefferson. 

12c.  Neutral  purple,  Henry  Clay. 

15c.  Orange,  Daniel  Webster. 

24c.  Purple,  Winfield  Scott. 

30c.  Black,  Alexander  Hamilton. 

90c.  Carmine,  Oliver  H,  Perry. 

79 .  Who  were  the  ' '  Nine  Worthies  "  ? 

These  famous  personages,  so  often  alluded  to  by  writers 
and  poets,  have  been  counted  up  in  the  following  manner: 

1.  Hector,  son  of  Priam. 
Three  Gentiles  .     .     .  -^  2.  Alexander  the  Great. 

3.  Julius  Cfesar. 

4.  Joshua,  conqueror  of  Canaan. 
Three  Jews  .     .     .     .-{5.  David,  king  of  Israel. 

6.  Judas  Maccabteus. 

!7.  Arthur,  king  of  Britain. 
8.  Charlemagne. 
9.  Godfrey  of  Bouillon. 

80.  Who  was  the  "  Father  of  Ridicule  "  ? 

Francois  Rabelais  (149o?-1553),  the  most  original  and 
remarkable  of  all  humorists,  and  the  first  noteworthy  comic 
romancer  of  modern  times,  is  chiefly  noted  for  his  great 
satirical  work,  Les  Fails  et Diets  du  Geant  Gargantita  et  de 
son  Fils  Pantagruel,  which  continues  to  take  rank  as  one 
of  the  world's  masterpieces  of  humor  and  grotesque  inven- 


42  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

tion.  Lord  Bacon  calls  Kabelais  "  the  great  jester  of 
France";  others  have  called  him  a  "comic  Homer." 
More  than  sixty  editions  of  his  work  have  been  published. 

81.  What  did  the  North  American  Indians  use  as 
money  ? 

Strings  of  shells  and  shell-beads  called  wampum.  There 
were  two  kinds:  wampumpeag ,  which  was  white,  and  was 
made  from  the  conch  or  periwinkle;  and  suckanJiock, 
which  was  black,  or  rather  purple,  and  was  made  from  the 
hard-shell  clam.  The  latter  was  worth  twice  as  much  as 
the  former.  The  shell  was  broken  into  pieces,  rubbed 
smooth  on  a  stone  till  about  the  thickness  of  a  pipe-stem, 
then  cut  and  pierced  with  a  drill.  It  was  then  strung  or 
made  into  belts,  and  served  not  only  as  money,  but  also  as 
ornaments. 

82.  Who  was  ' '  Old  Hickory  "  ? 

This  sobriquet  was  conferred  upon  General  Andrew 
Jackson,  in  1813,  by  the  soldiers  under  his  command. 
"  The  name  of  '  Old  Hickory,'"  says  Parton,  "  is  not  au 
instantaneous  inspiration,  but  a  growth.  First  of  all,  the 
remark  was  made  by  some  soldier,  who  was  struck  with 
his  commander's  pedestrian  powers,  that  the  general  was 
'  tough.'  Next  it  was  observed  of  him  that  he  was  '  tough 
as  hickory.'  Then  he  was  called  Hickory.  Lastly,  the 
affectionate  adjective  '  old  '  was  prefixed,  and  the  general 
thenceforth  rejoiced  in  the  completed  nickname,  usually 
the  first-won  honor  of  a  great  commander."  According 
to  another  account,  the  name  sprung  from  his  having  on 
one  occasion  set  his  men  an  example  of  endurance  by 
feeding  on  hickory  nuts,  when  destitute  of  supplies. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES.  43 

83.  Which  is  the  "  City  of  Elms  "  ? 

This  is  a  famiUar  denomination  of  Kew  Haven,  Ct., 
many  of  the  streets  of  which  are  thickly  shaded  with  lofty 
elms. 

84.  How  did  the  schooner  obtain  its  name? 

The  first  schooner  ever  constructed  is  said  to  have  been 
built  in  Gloucester,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1713,  by  a  Capt. 
Andrew  Robinson,  and  to  have  received  its  name  from 
the  following  trivial  circumstance.  When  the  vessel  went 
off  the  stocks  into  the  water,  a  by-stander  cried  out,  "  Oh, 
how  she  scoons!  "  Robinson  instantly  replied,  "  A  scooner 
let  her  be  ";  and,  from  that  time,  vessels  thus  masted  and 
rigged  have  gone  by  this  name.  The  word  scoon  is  popu- 
larly used  in  some  parts  of  JSTew  England  to  denote  the 
act  of  making  stones  skip  along  the  surface  of  water. 

85.  Who  was  the  "  Mill-boy  of  the  Slashes  "  ? 

This  nickname  was  given  to  Henry  Clay,  who  was  born 
in  the  neighborhood  of  a  place  in  Hanover  County,  Va., 
known  as  the  Slashes  (a  local  term  for  a  low,  swampy 
country),  where  there  was  a  mill,  to  which  he  was  often 
sent  on  errands  when  a  boy. 

86.  What  was  the  origin  of  "  Honeymoon"? 

The  term  "honeymoon  "  is  of  Teutonic  origin,  and  is 
said  to  be  derived  from  a  luxurious  drink  prepared  with 
honey  by  the  ancients.  It  was  the  custom  to  drink  of 
diluted  honey  for  thirty  days,  or  a  moon's  age,  after  a 
wedding  feast. 


44  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

87.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  expression  "  Print- 
er's Devil "  ? 

Aldus  Manutius  (1449-1515),  the  celebrated  Venetian 
printer  and  ijublisher,  had  a  small  black  slave  whom  the 
superstitious  believed  to  be  an  emissary  of  Satan.  To 
satisfy  the  curious,  one  day  he  said  publicly  in  church, 
"  I,  Aldus  Manutius,  printer  to  the  Holy  Church,  have 
this  day  made  public  exposure  of  the  printer's  devil. 
All  who  think  he  is  not  flesh  and  blood,  come  and  pinch 
him."  Hence  in  Venice  arose  the  somewhat  curious 
sobriquet  of  the  "  printer's  devil." 

88.  Who  were  the  "  Seven  Sleepers  "? 

According  to  a  very  widely  diffused  legend  of  earlj 
Christianity,  seven  noble  youths  of  Ephesus,  in  the  time 
of  the  Decian  persecution,  who  fled  to  a  certain  cavern 
for  refuge,  and  were  pursued,  discovered,  and  walled  in 
for  a  cruel  death,  were  made  to  fall  asleep,  and  in  that 
state  were  miraculously  kept  for  almost  two  centuries. 
Their  names  are  said  to  have  been  Maximian,  Malchus, 
Martinian,  Denis,  John,  Serapion,  and  Constantine.  The 
legend,  in  speaking  of  their  death,  said,  following  the  usual 
form,  that  they  had  fallen  asleep  in  the  Lord.  The  vulgar 
took  occasion  thence  to  s:iy  that  these  holy  martyrs  were 
not  dead;  that  they  had  been  hid  in  the  cavern,  where 
they  had  fallen  asleep;  and  that  they  at  last  awoke,  to 
the  great  astonishment  of  the  spectators.  Such  is  the 
origin  of  the  legend  of  the  Seven  Sleepers.  At  Ephesus 
the  spot  is  still  shown  where  this  pretended  miracle  took 
place.  As  a  dog  had  accompanied  these  seven  martyrs 
into  theii'  retreat,  he  has  been  made  to  share  the  celebrity 
of  his  masters,  and  is  fabled  to  have  remained  standing 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  45 

all  the  time  they  slept,  without  eating  or  drinking,  being 
wholly  occupied  with  guarding  their  persons.  The  Church 
has  consecrated  the  2711i  of  June  to  their  memory.  The 
Koran  relates  the  tale  of  the  Seven  Sleepers,  and  declares 
that  out  of  respect  for  them  the  sun  altered  his  course 
twice  a  day  that  he  might  shine  into  the  cavern. 

89.  Who  were  the  "Seven  "Wise  Men  of  Greece " ? 

These  men,  who  lived  in  the  sixth  century  B.  C.,  were 
distinguished  for  their  practical  sagacity  and  their  wise 
maxims  or  principles  of  life.  Their  names  are  variously 
given,  but  those  most  generally  admitted  to  the  honor  are 
Solon,  Chilo,  Pittacus,  Bias,  Periander  (in  place  of  whom 
some  give  Epimenides),  Cleobulus,  and  Thales.  They 
were  the  authors  of  the  celebrated  mottoes  inscribed  it 
later  days  in  the  Delphian  temple:  Know  thyself  (Solon): 
Consider  the  end  (Chilo)  ;Know  thy  opportunity  (Pittacus); 
Most  men  are  bad  (Bias);  Nothing  is  impossible  to  indus- 
try (PermHcZer) ;  Avoid  excess  (Cleobulus);  Suretyship  is 
the  precursor  of  ruin  (Thales). 

90.  Who  were  the  "  Seven  Champions  of  Christen- 
dom "  ? 

St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  England;  St.  Denis,  of 
France;  St.  James,  of  Spain;  St.  Anthony,  of  Italy;  St. 
Andrew,  of  Scotland;  St.  Patrick,  of  Ireland;  and  St. 
David,  of  Wales. 

9 1 .  What  were  the  ' '  Seven  Wonders  of  the  World  "  ? 

These  very  remarkable  objects  of  the  ancient  world  have 
been  variously  enumerated.  The  following  classification 
is  the  one  most  generally  received:    1.  The  Pyramids  of 


46  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

Egypt;  2.  The  Pharos  of  Alexandria;  3.  The  Walls  and 
Hanging  Gardens  of  Babylon;  4.  The  Temple  of  Diana  at 
Ephesus;  5.  The  Statue  of  the  Olympian  Jupiter;  6.  The 
Mausoleum  of  Artemisia;  7.  The  Colossus  of  Rhodes. 

92.  What  was  the  ' '  Wicked  Bible  "  ? 

This  name  was  given  to  an  edition  of  the  Bible  pub- 
lished in  1632  by  Barker  &  Lucas,  because  the  word  7iot 
was  omitted  in  the  Seventh  Commandment.  The  printers 
were  called  before  the  High  Commission,  fined  heavily, 
and  the  whole  impression  destroyed. 

93.  Why  does  a  dog  turn  round  several  times  before 
he  lies  down? 

The  dog  belongi5  to  the  same  genus  as  the  wolf,  fox, 
etc.,  and  originally  made  his  home  in  the  forests  and 
jungles.  In  preparing  his  lair  in  these  places,  nature 
prompted  him  to  turn  round  several  times  in  order  to  ar- 
range the  grass  or  weeds,  and  bend  them  from  his  body 
before  he  lay  down.  In  his  domesticated  state  he  has  not 
yet  overcome  this  early  prompting  of  nature. 

94.  Who  were  the  first  paper-makers  ? 

Wasps.  Their  nest  is  made  of  a  paper-like  substance, 
which  is  merely  wood  reduced  to  a  paste  by  the  action  of 
the  jaws  of  the  insects,  and  this,  put  into  the  required  form, 
is  left  to  dry:  essentially  the  same  thing  that  our  paper 
manufacturers  are  doing  by  other  processes  and  on  a  larger 
scale  in  their  mills  to-day. 

95.  How  does  the  Eed  Sea  get  its  color? 

The  reddish  appearance  of  the  waters  of  this  sea  is  due 
to  the  prevalence  of  a  minute  bright  red  plant,  which  is  a 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.      47 

kind  of  sea-weed.  This  plant  is  said  to  be  so  small  that 
twenty-five  millions  of  them  can  live  and  thrive  in  one 
square  inch.  From  it  is  made  a  beautiful  red  dye,  which 
tradition  says  was  used  hundreds  of  years  ago.  In  some 
places,  where  the  weed  is  not  found,  the  waters  are  blue 
or  green.  To  the  Hebrews  it  was  known  as  Yam  Siiph, 
the  sea  of  weeds  or  sedge. 

96.  What  was  the  Parthenopean  Republic? 

This  was  the  name  given  to  the  state  into  which  the 
kingdom  of  Naples  was  transformed  by  the  French  Repub- 
licans, Jan.  23, 1799,  and  which  lasted  only  till  the  follow- 
ing June.  The  name  is  derived  from  Parthenope,  an 
ancient  name  for  Naples. 

97.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  names  of  the  months? 

January  is  derived  from  Janus,  the  god  of  the  year,  to 
whom  this  month  was  sacred. 

February  is  from  Fehruus,  an  old  Italian  divinity,  or 
from  Februa,  the  Roman  festival  of  expiation,  celebrated 
on  the  15th  of  this  mouth.  January  and  February  were 
added  to  the  Roman  calendar  by  Nuraa,  Romulus  having 
previously  divided  the  year  into  ten  months. 

March  is  from  liars,  the  god  of  war,  and  reputed  father 
of  Romulus.  I*^  was  the  first  month  of  the  Roman  calendar. 

April  is  from  the  Latin  Aperire,  to  open,  from  the  open- 
ing of  the  buds,  or  the  bosom  of  the  earth  in  producing 
vegetation. 

May  is  from  Maia,  the  mother  of  Mercury,  to  whom  the 
Romans  offered  sacrifices  on  the  first  day  of  this  month. 

June  is  from  Juno,  the  sister  and  wife  of  Jupiter,  to 
whom  this  month  was  sacred. 

July  was  named  by  Mark  Antony  after  Julius  Coesa'^, 


48  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

who  was  born  in  this  month.  It  was  previously  called 
Quintilis,  the  fifth  month. 

August  was  named  after  Augustus  Ccesar^  on  account  of 
several  of  the  most  fortunate  events  of  his  life  having 
occurred  during  this  mouth.  It  was  formerly  Sextilis,  or 
sixth  month. 

September  is  from  the  Latin  septem,  seven,  because  it 
was  originally  the  seventh  month. 

October,  formerly  the  eighth  month,  is  formed  from  the 
Latin  octo,  eight. 

November  is  from  the  Latin  novem,  nine,  as  this  month 
was  originally  the  ninth  month. 

December  is  from  the  Latin  decern^  ten,  as  it  was  for- 
merly the  tenth  and  last  month  of  the  Roman  calendar. 

98.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  names  of  the  days  of 
the  week  ? 

As  the  names  of  the  months  were  all  derived  from  the 
Romans,  so  the  names  of  the  days  of  the  week  come  to 
us  from  the  Saxons. 

Sunday  takes  its  name  from  the  sun,  which  was  one  of 
the  principal  objects  of  worship. 

Monday  is  so  called  after  the  moon,  also  an  ancient  object 
of  worship. 

Tuesday  is  so  called  from  Tiu  or  Tiiv,  the  son  of  Odin, 
and  the  old  Saxon  god  of  war  and  of  fame. 

Wednesday  derives  its  name  from  Woden,  or  OcZm,the 
god  of  battle,  and  the  chief  god  of  the  Northern  mythology. 

Thursday  is  so  st3-led  from  Donai\  or  Thor,  who,  as  god 
of  the  air,  had  much  in  common  with  the  Roman  Jupiter, 
to  whom  the  same  day  was  dedicated. 

Friday  is  named  from  Frigga,  the  wife  of  Odin  and  the 
mother  of  all  the  deities. 


QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 


49 


Saturday  is  named  from  Saterne,  or  Saturn,  to  whom  the 
day  was  consecrated. 

99.     What  year  is  1886  by  the  Jewish  calendar? 

The  year  5646  of  the  Jewish  era  began  Sept.  10, 1885, 
and  will  continue  385  days,  as  it  is  an  embolismic  year. 
The  Jewish  calendar  is  dated  from  the  creation,  which  is 
considered  to  have  taken  place  8760  years  and  three 
months  before  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 
The  year  is  luni-solar,  and,  according  as  it  is  ordinary  or 
embolismic,  consists  of  twelve  or  thirteen  lunar  months, 
each  of  which  has  twenty-nine  or  thirty  days.  Thus  the 
duration  of  the  ordinary  year  is  354  days,  and  that  of  the 
embolismic  year  is  384  days.  In  either  case  it  is  some- 
times made  a  day  more,  and  sometimes  a  day  less,  in  order 
that  certain  festivals  may  fall  on  proper  days  of  the  week 
for  their  due  observance.  The  following  table  gives  the 
names  of  their  months  and  the  number  of  days  in  each:  — 

HEBREW  MONTHS. 


Month. 

Ordinary. 

Embolismic. 

Month. 

Ordinary. 

EmboliBmic. 

Tisri 

Heevan  .... 

Kislev 

Tebet 

Sebat 

Adar 

Veadar  

Total .... 

30 

29-1-* 
30—* 
29 
30 
29 
(-)t 

30 
29+ 
30— 
29 
30 
30 
(29) 

Nisan 

Yiar 

Sivan 

Tamuz  .... 

Ab 

Elul 

30 
29 
30 
29 
30 
29 

30 
29 
30 
29 
30 
29 

304 

384 

*  The  signs  -f-  and  —  are  respectively  annexed  to  Hesvan  and  Kiwlev  to 
indicate  that  the  former  of  these  may  Bometimes  require  to  have  one  day 
more,  and  the  latter  one  day  less,  than  the  number  of  d  lys  shown  in  the  table. 

t  The  intercalary  month,  Veadar,  is  introduced  in  emtu'lieinic  years  in 
order  that  Passover,  the  15th  day  of  Nisan,  may  be  kept  at  ils  proper  neaso' , 
which  is  the  full  moon  of  the  vernal  equinox,  or  that  which  takes  place  afte« 
the  Bun  has  entered  the  sign  Aries. 


50  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

The  following  table  shows  when  Tisri  1,  the  Jewish 
New- Year,  occurs  for  each  of  the  next  five  years  by  our 
calendar. 

Tisri  1,  5647  =  September  30,  1886. 
"      5648=  "  19,1887. 

"      5649=  "  6,1888. 

"      5650=  "  26,1889. 

"      5651=  "  15,1890. 

100.  "What  was  the  name  of  the  penitent  thief? 

St.  Dismas  is  the  name  which  Romish  tradition  has 
attached  to  the  "good  thief."  He  is  represented  with  a 
cross  beside  him. 

101.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  term  "halcyon 
days"? 

The  seven  days  which  precede  and  the  seven  da3^s  which 
follow  the  shortest  day  were,  by  the  ancients,  callrd 
halcyon  days,  on  account  of  the  fable  that,  during  this 
time,  while  the  halcyon  bird,  or  kingfisher,  was  breeding, 
there  always  prevailed  calms  at  sea.  From  this  the  phrase 
"  halcyon  days  "  has  come  to  signify  times  of  peace  and 
tranquillity. 

102.  Who  was  the  "  Chi-ist  of  India"? 

Buddha  Gautama  (624-543  B.  C),  the  reputed  founder 
of  Buddhism,  has  been  so  termed.  He  was  of  ascetic 
habits,  till,  tempted  by  his  father,  he  abandoned  himself 
to  every  pleasure.  Afterward  he  renounced  the  world, 
and  as  a  result  of  long  study  and  bodily  maceration,  dis- 
covered that  non-sentient  repose  is  the  highest  good 
attainable  by  the  pure  and  the  just. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  51 

103.  What  religious  sect  anoint  the  sick  with  oil, 
depending  upon  this  unction  and  prayer,  and  rejecting 
the  use  of  medicine  ? 

The  Tunkers  are  found  widely  scattered  throughout  the 
northern  and  middle  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  are 
nowhere  numerous.  They  were  recently  estimated  to  have 
over  five  hundred  churches  and  some  fifty  thousand  mem- 
bers. The  name  which  they  take  for  themselves  is  simply 
that  of  Brethren,  and  they  profess  that  their  association  is 
founded  on  the  principle  of  brotherly  love.  The  name 
Tunkers  is  of  German  origin,  signifying  Dippers,  and  is 
due  to  their  dipping  in  baptism.  They  anoint  their  sick 
with  oil,  depending  upon  this  unction  and  prayer  for  their 
recovery,  and  rejecting  the  use  of  medicine.  They  do  not 
insist  upon  celibacy  as  an  absolute  rule ;  but  they  com- 
mend it  as  a  virtue,  and  discourage  marriage.  Chiefiy 
engaged  in  agriculture,  they  are  industrious  and  honest, 
and  universally  held  in  good  repute  among  their  neighbors. 

Sole  dependence  upon  prayer  is  the  characteristic  also 
of  a  small  religious  sect  of  which  a  few  members  are  to 
be  found  in  England,  calling  themselves  the  Peculiar 
People. 

In  Switzerland,  the  name  of  Dorothea  Trudel,  who  died 
in  1862,  was  long  famous  for  the  cure  of  ailments  by 
prayers. 

104.  What  noted  sage  advocated  the  doctrine  that 
virtue  was  intellectual,  a  necessary  consequence  of 
knowledge ;  while  vice  was  ignorance,  and  akin  to 
madness  ? 

This  was  the  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  philosophy 
of  Socrates,  the  Athenian  philosopher  (469-399  B.  C). 


52  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

Knowledge,  virtue,  and  happiness  he  held  to  be  insepar- 
able. His  religious  doctrines  culminated  in  the  conception 
of  the  Deity  as  the  author  of  the  harmony  of  nature  and 
the  laws  of  morals,  revealed  only  in  his  works,  and  of  the 
soul  as  a  divine  and  immortal  being,  resembling  the  Deity 
in  respect  to  reason  and  invisible  energy. 

105.  "What  palace  in  an  ancient  city  contains  five 
hundred  rooms  ? 

The  Palazzo  Imperiale,  at  Mantua,  Italy,  contains  five 
hundred  rooms,  whose  choicest  embellishment  consists  in 
the  glorious  paintings  and  exquisite  designs  of  the  great 
Mantuau  artist,  Giulio  Romano. 

106.  What  was  the  "most  useful  conquest  ever 
made  by  man  "  ? 

Baron  Cuvier,  the  most  eminent  naturalist,  says  of 
the  dog :  "  It  is  the  completest,  the  most  singular,  and  the 
most  useful  conquest  ever  made  by  man."  This  conquest 
was  made  long  before  the  dawn  of  history.  Cuvier  has 
also  asserted  that  the  dog  was,  perhaps,  necessary  for  the 
establishment  of  human  society.  Though  this  may  not 
be  apparent  in  the  most  highly  civilized  communities,  a 
moment's  reflection  will  convince  us  that  barbarous  na- 
tions owe  much  of  their  elevation  above  the  brute  to  the 
possession  of  the  dog. 

107.  When  was  the  first  blood  shed  in  the  Revolu- 
tion ? 

In  the  conflict  known  as  the  "Boston  Massacre,"  be- 
tween the  British  soldiers  and  the  citizens  of  Boston, 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  53 

March  5,  1770.  Two  Americans  —  Samuel  Gray  and 
James  Caldwell  —  and  a  half-breed  Indian  negro  — 
Crispus  Attucks  —  were  killed,  and  eight  citizens  were 
wounded,  two  of  them  mortally,  —  an  Irishman  named 
Carr,  and  Maverick,  an  American. 

108.  What  remarkable  fish  is  found  only  in  Lake 
Baikal? 

The  golomynka,  the  only  known  species  of  its  genus, 
which  belongs  to  the  goby  family.  It  is  about  a  foot  long, 
is  destitute  of  scales,  and  is  very  soft,  its  whole  substance 
abounding  in  oil,  which  is  obtained  from  it  by  pressure. 
It  is  never  eaten. 

109.  Who  was  inventor  of  the  most  perfect  alph?.- 
bet  ever  devised  for  any  language  ? 

George  Guess,  or  Sequoyah,  a  half-breed  Cherokee 
Indian  (1770-1843),  invented,  in  1826,  a  syllabic  alphabet 
of  the  Cherokee  language,  which  consisted  of  eighty-five 
characters,  each  representing  a  single  sound  in  the  lan- 
guage. This  is  said  to  be  the  most  perfect  alphabet  ever 
devised  for  any  language.  For  the  characters  he  used,  as 
far  as  they  went,  those  which  he  found  in  an  English  spell- 
ing-book, although  he  knew  no  language  excej^t  his  own. 
A  newspaper  called  the  Phoenix  was  established,  a  part 
of  it  printed  in  Cherokee,  using  the  alphabet  of  Guess. 
A  part  of  the  New  Testament  was  also  printed  in  this 
character.  Guess  was  not  a  Christian,  and  is  said  to  have 
regretted  his  invention  when  he  found  it  was  used  for 
this  ptlrpose. 


54  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

110.  Who  was  the  "  Little  Giant"  ? 

This  was  a  popular  sobriquet  conferred  upon  Stephen 
Arnold  Douglass  (1813-1861),  a  distinguished  American 
statesman,  in  allusion  to  the  disparity  between  his  physi- 
cal and  his  intellectual  proportions. 

111.  Which  was  the  grandest  funeral  pageant  ever 
known  ? 

That  of  Alexander  the  Great.  For  two  years  after  his 
death  the  body  was  deposited  at  Babylon,  while  prepara- 
tions were  being  made  for  the  march  to  Egypt.  At  length 
all  was  ready,  and  the  grandest  funeral  pageant  ever  wit- 
nessed on  earth  started  on  the  long  march  of  over  one 
thousand  miles  from  Babylon  to  Alexandria.  Over  a  year 
was  occupied  in  this  journey.  The  accounts  of  the  splen- 
dor and  magnificence  of  the  golden  car  that  bore  his  body 
are  almost  incredible.  The  spokes  and  naves  of  the  wheels 
were  overlaid  with  gold,  and  the  extremities  of  the  axles, 
where  they  appeared  outside  at  the  centre  of  the  wheels, 
were  adorned  with  massive  golden  ornaments.  Upon  the 
wheels  and  axle-trees  was  supported  a  platform  twelve 
feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet  long,  upon  Avhich  was  erected 
a  magnificent  pavilion  supported  by  Ionic  columns,  and 
profusely  ornamented,  both  within  and  without,  with  pur 
pie  and  gold.  The  interior  of  this  pavilion  was  resplen- 
dent with  precious  stones  and  gems.  Upon  the  back  of 
the  platform  was  placed  a  throne,  profusely  carved  and 
gilded,  and  hung  with  crowns  rejiresenting  the  various 
nations  over  which  Alexander  had  ruled.  At  the  foot  of 
the  throne  was  the  coffin,  made  of  solid  gold,  and  contain- 
ing, besides  the  body,  a  large  quantity  of  the  most  costly 
spices  and  aromatic  perfumes,  which  filled  the  air  with 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  55 

fragrance.  Between  the  cofSn  and  throne  were  laid  the 
arms  of  Alexander.  On  the  four  sides  of  the  carriage 
.  were  basso-relievos,  representing  Alexander  himself,  with 
various  military  concomitants.  There  were  the  Macedo- 
nian columns,  the  squadrons  of  Persia,  the  elephants  of 
India,  troops  of  horses,  etc.  Around  the  car  was  a  fringe 
of  golden  lace,  to  the  pendants  of  which  were  attached 
bells,  which  tolled  continually  with  a  mournful  sound  as 
the  carriage  moved  along.  This  ponderous  car  was  dr:,wn 
by  a  long  column  of  sixty-four  mules,  in  sets  of  four,  all 
selected  for  their  great  size  and  strength,  and  richly  ca- 
parisoned. Their  collars  and  harnesses  were  mounted 
with  gold  and  enriched  with  precious  stones.  A  large 
army  of  workmen  kept  at  a  considerable  distance  in  ad- 
vance, repairing  the  roads,  strengthening  the  bridges, 
and  removing  all  obstacles  along  the  entire  line. 

112.  What  is  the  "oft-quoted  epitaph  "  composed 
by  Franklin? 

"THE     BODY     OF     BENJAMIN     FRANKLIN, 

PRINTER,    LIKE     THE    COVER     OF    AN    OLD    BOOK,    Us 

contents  torn  out,  and  stripped  of  its  lettering  and  gilding, 
lies  here  food  for  worms.  Yet  the  work  itself  shall  not  be 
lost;  for  it  will,  as  he  believed,  appear  once  more  in  a 
new  and  more  beautiful  edition,  corrected  and  amended 
by  the  Author." 

113.  Which  is  the  largest  stationary  engine  in  the 
world  ? 

The  largest  stationary  engine  in  the  world  is  at  the 
famous  ziuc  mines  at  Friedensville,  Pennsylvania.  It  is 
known  as  the  "President,"  and  there  is  no    pumping 


56  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

engine  in  the  world  that  can  be  compared  with  the  monster. 
The  number  of  gallons  of  water  raised  every  minute  is 
17,500.  The  driving-wheels  are  thirty-five  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  weigh  forty  tons  each.  The  sweep-rod  is  forty 
feet  long,  the  cylinder  one  hundred  and  ten  inches  in 
diameter,  and  the  piston-rod  eighteen  inches  in  diameter, 
with  a  ten-foot  stroke. 

114.  What  was  the  origin  of  "  pin-money"  ? 

"  Pin-money  "  is  a  term  applied  to  a  lady's  allowance  of 
money  for  her  own  personal  expenditure.  Long  after  the 
invention  of  pins,  in  the  fourteenth  century,  they  were  very 
costly,  and  the  maker  was  allowed  to  sell  them  in  open 
shop  only  on  the  1st  and  2d  of  January.  It  was  then  that 
the  ladies  of  the  court  and  city  dames  flocked  to  the  stores 
to  buy  them,  having  been  first  provided  with  the  requisite 
money  by  their  husbands.  When  pins  became  common 
and  cheap,  the  ladies  spent  their  allowance  on  other  fan- 
cies, but  the  term  "  pin-money  "  remained  in  vogue. 

115.  Why  are  our  Presidents  inaugurated  on  the  4:th 
of  March? 

The  reason  why  the  4th  of  March  is  the  day  on  which 
our  Presidents  are  always  inaugurated  is  that  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  appointed  the  first  Wednesday  in  January, 
1789,  for  the  people  to  choose  electors;  the  first  Wednes- 
day in  February  for  those  electors  to  choose  a  President; 
and  the  first  Wednesday  in  March  for  the  government  to 
go  into  operation  under  thff  new  Constitution.  The  last- 
named  day,  in  1789,  fell  on  the  4th  of  March;  hence,  the 
4th  of  March  following  the  election  of  a  President  is  the 
day  appointed  for  his  inauguration.    By  the  act  of  1792,  it 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.      57 

was  provided  that  the  Presidential  term  of  four  years 
should  commence  on  the  4th  of  March.  By  the  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution  made  in  1804,  if  the  House  of 
Representatives  should  not  elect  a  President  by  the  4th  of 
March,  the  Vice-President  becomes  President.  The  4tli  of 
March  is  thus  virtually  made,  by  the  Constitution  as  well  as 
by  statute,  the  day  when  a  new  Presidential  term  begins. 

116.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  word  "tariff"? 

On  the  coast  of  Spain,  just  outside  the  Straits  of  Gibral- 
tar, there  is  an  island  called  Tarifa.  When  the  Moors 
had  possession  of  Spain,  they  established  a  custom-house 
upon  it.  The  taxes  were  fixed  by  the  collector.  Every 
vessel  passing  through  the  straits  in  either  direction  was 
brought  to  and  robbed  of  as  much  as  this  collector  saw 
fit.  If  the  captain  delivered  up  about  fifteen  per  cent  of 
his  cargo,  or  paid  its  equivalent  in  money,  he  was  allowed 
to  go  in  peace.  If  he  proved  stubborn,  his  vessel  and 
cargo  were  confiscated.  Generally,  however,  no  resistance 
was  offered.  When  the  vessel  arrived  at  the  port  of  dis- 
charge, her  owner  assessed  the  loss  on  the  purchasers  of 
the  goods.  Hence  all  money  collected  on  cargoes  is 
called  a  tariff,  from  the  island  whence  the  custom  was 
first  started. 

117.  What  newspapaper  is  called"  The  Thunderer"? 

The  London  Times.  This  name  was  originally  given 
to  it  on  account  of  the  powerful  articles  contributed  to  its 
columns  by  the  editor,  Edward  Sterling. 

118.  Who  was  the  "  Man  of  Destiny  "  ? 

This  appellation  was  conferred  on  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, who  believed  himself  to  be  a  chosen  instrument  of 


58  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

Destiny,  and  that  his  actions  were  governed  by  some  oc- 
cult and  supernatural  influence. 

119.  What  was  the  origin  of  "catch-penny"? 

This  term  originated  in  London,  in  1824,  just  after  the 
execution  of  Thurtell  for  the  murder  of  Weare.  A  pub- 
lisher made  a  great  deal  of  money  from  the  sale  of  Thur- 
tell's  "  last  dying  speech."  When  the  sale  of  this  speech 
fell  off,  a  second  edition  was  advertised,  headed,  "  Weare 
alive  again  !  "  with  little  space  between  the  first  two  words. 
These  two  words  the  people  took  for  the  name  of  the  mur- 
dered  man,  reading  it,  '■'■Weare  alive  again!"  A  large 
edition  was  rapidly  sold.  Someone  called  it  a  "catch- 
penny," and  the  word  rapidly  spread  until  it  came  into 
general  use. 

120.  "Where  is  there  an  underground  river  in  the 
United  States? 

There  are  two  underground  rivers  —  the  Echo  and  the 
Styx  —  in  the  Mammoth  Cave,  Kentucky.  The  Echo  is 
about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  long,  two  hundred  feet  wide 
at  some  points,  and  from  ten  to  forty  feet  deep.  It  is 
crossed  by  boats.  Its  course  is  beneath  an  arched  ceiling 
of  smooth  rock,  varying  in  height  from  ten  to  thirty-five 
feet,  and  famous  for  its  musical  reverberations;  liot  a 
distinct  echo,  but  a  harmonious  prolongation  of  sound  for 
from  ten  to  thirty  seconds  after  the  original  tone  is  pro- 
duced. The  long  vault  has  a  certain  ke3'-note  of  its  own, 
which,  when  struck,  excites  harmonics,  including  tones 
of  incredible  depth  and  sweetness.  The  Styx  is  much 
smaller  than  the  Echo.  It  is  about  four  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long,  from  fifteen  to  forty  feet  wide,  and  from 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  69 

thirty  to  forty  feet  deep.  It  is  spanned  by  an  interesting 
natural  bridge  about  thirty  feet  above  it.  Botli  these 
streams  have  an  invisible  communication  with  Green 
River,  the  depth  of  the  water  and  direction  of  the  current 
in  them  being  regulated  by  the  stage  of  water  in  the  latter 
stream.  In  the  waters  of  both  streams  are  found  a  blind 
fish  (Amblyopsis  speleans)  of  an  almost  pure  white  color. 

121.  Who  was  the  first  martyr  to  American  liberty? 

Thomas  Hansford,  one  of  the  leading  participants  of 
Bacon's  Rebellion,  is  generally  accredited  with  this  honor. 
After  the  failure  of  the  rebellion,  he  was  captured  at  the 
house  of  a  young  lady  to  whom  he  was  paying  his  ad- 
dresses, taken  to  Accomac,  and  hung  as  a  rebel,  by  Berke- 
ley, the  royal  governor,  in  spite  of  his  prayer  that  he 
might  be  "  shot  like  a  soldier."    This  was  Nov.  13, 167G. 

This  name  has  also  been  applied  to  Christopher  Snider, 
a  boy  eleven  years  of  age,  who  was  killed  in  a  mob  in 
Boston,  Feb.  22, 1770. 

122.  "Who  was  the  author  of  "Curfew  must  not 
Ring  To-night"? 

This  exquisite  poem  was  written  in  April,  1867.  by 
Miss  Rosa  Hartwick,  now  Mrs.  Edward  C.  Thorpe.  She 
resides  at  Litchfield,  Michigan.  She  was  in  her  seven- 
teenth year  when  she  wrote  the  poem.  She  has  written 
others,  but  none  so  fine  or  so  fomous  as  this.  It  is  founded 
on  an  incident  in  English  history.  Basil  Underwood  was 
a  young  man  in  the  time  of  the  Protectorate,  and  his  only 
crime  seems  to  have  been  unswerving  loyalty  to  the  king. 
The  maiden  pleaded  in  vain  for  a  reprieve  from  the 
judges.    They  would  not  delay  the  execution  even  until 


60  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

Cromwell  should  arrive.  After  her  fruitless  appeal  to  the 
judges,  she  returns  to  the  old  sexton,  and  it  is  at  this  point 
that  the  poem  takes  up  the  story. 

1 23 .  Who  was  ' '  Mother  Goose  "  ? 

"  Mother  Goose,"  from  whom  the  popular  nursery 
rhymes  were  named,  was  not  an  imaginary  personage. 
She  belonged  to  a  wealthy  family  in  Boston,  Mass.,  where 
she  was  born  and  resided  for  many  years.  Her  eldest 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Goose,  was  married  to  a  printer 
named  Fleet,  and  when  a  son  was  born  to  them,  the 
grandmother  spent  all  her  time  nursing  him  and  singing 
the  songs  and  ditties  she  had  heard  in  her  younger  days. 
This  greatly  annoyed  her  son-in-law,  who  vainly  ti'ied  in 
every  way  to  make  her  desist.  He  then  conceived  and 
carried  out  the  idea  of  collecting  these  ditties  and  publish- 
ing them  in  book  form,  giving  the  edition  the  title  of 
"Songs  for  the  Nursery;  or.  Mother  Goose's  Melodies 
for  Children."  The  adoption  of  this  title  was  originally 
in  derision  of  his  mother-in-law;  but  it  became  so  well 
known  and  liked,  that  now  there  are  few  boys  or  girls 
who  do  not  revel  in  the  delights  of  the  old  lady's  melodies 
and  rhymes. 

124.  What  king  said  "  I  am  the  state  "  ? 

This  was  the  famous  saying  of  Louis XIV.  (1638-1715), 
king  of  France,  and  it  expresses  the  principle  to  which 
everything  was  accommodated.  In  the  zenith  of  his 
career  all  Europe  feared  him;  and  his  own  nation  had 
been  brought  by  tyranny,  skilful  management,  and  mili- 
tary glory  to  regard  him  with  Asiatic  humility.  Under 
his  absolute  sway  all  remnants  of  political  independence 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  61 

were  swept  away.  Even  the  courts  of  justice  yielded  to 
the  absolute  swa}'^  of  the  monarch,  who  interfered  at 
pleasure  with  the  ordinary  course  of  law. 

125.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  word  "  Missis- 
sippi "  ? 

"  Its  original  spelling,"  says  the  "  Magazine  of  American 
History,"  "  and  the  nearest  approach  to  the  Algonquin 
word,  '  the  father  of  waters,'  is  Meche  Sepe,  a  spelling 
still  commouly  used  by  the  Louisiana  Creoles.  Tonti 
suggested  Miche  Sepe,  which  is  somewhat  nearer  the 
present  spelling.  Father  Laval  still  further  modernized 
it  into  Michispi,  which  another  father,  Labatt,  softened 
into  Misisipi.  The  only  changes  since  have  been  to  over- 
load the  word  with  consonants.  Marquette  added  the  first 
and  some  other  explorer  the  second  s,  making  it  Missis- 
sipi,  and  so  it  remains  in  France  to  this  day,  with  only  one 
p.  The  man  who  added  the  other  has  never  been  dis- 
covered, but  he  must  have  been  an  American,  for  at  the 
time  of  the  Louisiana  purchase  the  name  was  generally 
spelled  in  the  colony  with  a  single  p." 

126.  "What  was  the   "  O  Grab  Me  Act "  ? 

The  Embargo  Act  passed  by  Congress,  Dec.  21, 1807. 
By  its  provisions  all  American  vessels  were  detained  in 
the  ports  of  the  United  States.  The  object  was,  by  cut- 
ting off  commercial  intercourse  with  France  and  Great 
Britain,  to  compel  them  to  recognize  the  rights  of  Ameri- 
can neutrality.  The  act  was  the  subject  of  much  ridicule. 
The  opponents  of  the  measure,  spelling  the  word  back- 
ward, called  it  the  '-O  Grab  Me  Act "?  The  measure  was 
of  little  avail ;  and  after  fourteen  months  it  was  repealed. 


62  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

127.  Who  was  "  the  learned  tailor"? 

Henry  Wild  (1684-1764).  He  acquired  some  knowledo;e 
of  Greek  and  Latin  at  the  grammar  school  of  his  native 
town,  Norwich,  England,  after  which  he  worked  fourteen 
years  at  his  trade.  Then,  during  a  long  sickness,  he 
amused  himself  by  reading  seme  volumes  of  controversial 
theology  abounding  in  quotations  from  the  Bible  in  the 
original  Hebrew.  This  led  him  to  devote  his  spare  time 
for  several  years  to  the  study  of  Hebrew,  and  afterward 
of  Chaldee,  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  Persian,  in  all  of  which  he 
became  proficient. 

128.  Where  is  the  "  Water  Volcano"  ? 

The  Volcan  de  Agua,  or  "  Water  Volcano,"  is  a  huge 
mountain  in  Central  America,  noted  for  emitting  torrents 
of  boiling  water  which  have  twice  destroyed  the  town  of 
Guatemala.  It  is  of  a  conical  shape  and  rises  fifteen  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  close  proximity 
are  the  volcanoes  of  Pacaya,  on  the  southeast,  and  Fuego, 
on  the  west ;  and  the  three  together  present  a  scene  of 
great  magnificence. 

129.  Which  is  the  brightest  star  visible? 

Sirius,  or  the  Dog-star,  of  the  constellation  Canus 
Major^  or  the  "  Great  Dog."  Sir  John  Herschel  estimates 
its  light  as  exceeding  more  than  twofold  that  of  Canopus, 
the  second  star  in  brilliancy,  and  more  than  fourfold  that 
of  Alpha  Centauri,  the  third,  whose  light  the  same  astron- 
omer takes  as  the  standard  for  stars  of  the  first  magni- 
tude. Sirius  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-three 
billions  of  miles  distant  from  the  earth.  By  photometric 
measurement  it  has  been  shown  that,  supposing  the  in- 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  63 

tensity  of  the  suu's  light  for  unit  of  surface  to  equal  that 
of  Sirius,  it  would  require  four  hundred  suns  at  the  dis- 
tance of  Sirius  to  send  us  the  light  that  star  does  ;  and  our 
sun  at  the  distance  of  Sirius  would  appear  less  than  a  star 
of  the  sixth  magnitude,  and  be  invisible  to  the  naked  eye. 

130.  Who  originated  our  decimal  coinage? 

Our  decimal  coinage  was  devised  by  Thomas  Jefferson. 
Two  years  before  Governeur  Morris,  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  his  uncle,  Robert  Morris,  had  conceived  the  idea  of 
applying  the  decimal  system  to  the  notation  of  money. 
The  details  of  the  system  devised  by  Morris  were  so  cum- 
brous and  awkward  as  almost  to  neutralize  the  simplicity 
of  the  leading  idea.  Jefferson  rescued  the  fine  original 
conception  by  proposing  our  present  system  of  dollars  and 
cents,  which  was  adopted  by  Congress  in  1785. 

131.  Where  is  the  sacred  well  from  which  Hagar  is 
said  to  have  drawn  water  for  her  son  Ishmael  ? 

According  to  Mohammedan  tradition,  the  Zamzam,  the 
sacred  well  in  the  Great  Mosque,  at  Mecca,  is  the  source 
from  which  Hagar  drew  water  for  her  son  Ishmael  (Gen. 
xxi.  19).  This  is,  of  course,  pure  iuveution  ;  and,  indeed, 
the  legend  tells  that  the  well  was  long  covered  up  aud 
rediscovered  by  Abd-el-Muttalib,  the  grandfather  of  the 
prophet.  Sacred  wells  are  peculiar  to  Semitic  sanctuaries, 
and  Islam,  retaining  the  well,  made  a  quasi  Biblical  story 
for  it,  and  endowed  its  tepid  waters  with  miraculous  cura- 
tive virtues.  They  are  eagerly  drunk  by  the  pilgrims,  and 
when  poured  over  the  body  are  held  to  give  a  miraculous 
refreshment  after  the  fatigues  of  religious  exercise.  The 
manufacture  of  bottles  or  jars  for  carrying  the  water  to 


64  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

distant  countries  is  a  considerable  industry.  Ibu  Jubair 
mentions  a  curious  superstition  of  the  Meccans,  who  be- 
lieved that  the  water  rose  in  the  shaft  at  the  full  moon  of 
the  month  Sha'bdn,  On  this  occasion  a  great  crowd, 
especially  of  young  people,  thronged  round  the  well  wilh 
shouts  of  religious  enthusiasm,  while  the  servants  of  the 
well  dashed  buckets  of  water  over  their  heads. 

132.  Who  was  the  ' '  Wagoner  Boy  "  ? 

Thomas  Corwin  (1794-1865) ,  a  distinguished  American 
statesman.  While  Corwin  was  yet  a  lad,  Harrison  and 
his  army  were  on  the  northern  frontier,  almost  destitute  of 
provisions,  and  a  demand  was  made  on  the  patriotism  of 
the  people  to  furnish  the  necessary  subsistence.  The 
elder  Cox'win  loaded  a  wagon  with  supplies  which  was 
delivered  by  his  son,  who  remained  witli  the  army  during 
the  rest  of  the  campaign,  and  who  is  said  to  have  proved 
himself  "  a  good  whip  and  an  excellent  reinsman." 

133.  Who  explored  the  Mississippi  River  with  La 

Salle? 

The  Chevalier  Henry  de  Tonty  (1650-1704),  an  Italian 
explorer.  He  was  the  son  of  Lorenzo  de  Tonty,  who  is 
famous  as  the  inventor  of  the  tontine  system  of  associa- 
tion. In  1678  he  accompanied  La  Salle  to  Canada,  and 
then  in  his  exploration  of  the  Mississippi.  La  Salle  left 
him  in  command  of  a  fort  near  Peoria.  He  twice  de- 
scended the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth  in  search  of  La  Salle, 
and  a  thinl  and  last  time  to  meet  Iberville  ;  after  which 
he  remained  in  that  region  and  died  at  Fort  Louis  (n  )W 
Mobile)  in  September,  1704.     He  wrote  a  memoir  of  La 


QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  65 

Salle's  voyage,  which  has  been  translated  and  published  in 
English  under  the  title  "  Account  of  M.  de  la  Salle's  last 
Expedition  and  Discoveries  in  North  America." 

134.  Who  was  the  "  Ancient  Mariner  "  ? 

He  is  the  hero  of  Coleridge's  poem  of  the  same  name, 
who,  for  the  crime  of  having  shot  an  albatross,  a  bird  of 
good  omen  to  voyagars,  suffers  dreadful  penalties,  together 
with  his  companions,  who  have  made  themselves  accom- 
plices in  his  crime.  These  penalties  are  at  last  remitted 
in  consequence  of  his  repentance.  He  reaches  land, 
where  he  encounters  a  hermit,  to  whom  he  relates  his 
story,  — 

"  Since  then,  at  an  uncertain  hour, 
The  agony  returns, "  — 

and  drives  him  on,  like  the  Wandering  Jew,  from  land  to 
land,  compelled  to  relate  the  tale  of  his  suffering  and 
crime  as  a  warning  to  others,  and  as  a  lesson  of  love  and 
charity  towards  all  God's  creatures.  The  conception  of 
this  poem,  and  the  mystical  imagery  of  the  skeleton  ship, 
are  said  by  Dyce  to  have  been  borrowed  by  Coleridge 
from  a  friend  who  had  experienced  a  strange  dream. 

135.  What  was  the  ' '  Flying  Dutchman  "  ? 

This  is  the  name  given  by  sailors  to  a  spectral  ship, 
which  is  supposed  to  cruise  in  storms  off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  the  sight  of  which  is  considered  the  worst  of 
all  possible  omens.  She  is  distinguished  from  earthly 
vessels  by  bearing  a  press  of  sail  when  all  others  are  un- 
able, from  stress  of  weather,  to  show  an  inch  of  canvas. 
The  cause  of  her  wandering  is  variously  explained.  Ac- 
cording to  one  account,  a  Dutch  captain,  bound  home  from 

-5 


66      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

the  Indies,  met  with  long-continued  head- winds  and 
heavy  weather  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  refused  to 
put  back  as  he  was  advised  to  do,  swearing  a  very  profane 
oath  that  he  would  beat  round  the  Cape,  if  he  had  to  beat 
there  until  the  Day  of  Judgment.  He  was  taken  at  his 
word,  and  doomed  to  beat  against  head  winds  all  his  days. 
His  sails  are  believed  to  have  become  thin  and  sere,  his 
ship-sides  white  with  age,  and  himself  and  crew  reduced 
almost  to  shadows.  He  cannot  heave  to  or  lower  a  boat, 
but  sometimes  hails  vessels  through  his  trum^jet,  and  re- 
quests them  to  take  letters  home  for  him.  Dr.  John  Ley- 
den,  who  introduces  the  story  of  the  Flying  Dutchman 
into  his  "  Scenes  of  Infancy,"  imputes  with  poetical  in- 
genuity the  doom  of  the  ship  to  its  having  been  the  first 
to  engage  in  the  slave-trade.  But  the  common  tradition 
is,  as  stated  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  "  that  she  was  originally 
a  vessel  loaded  with  great  wealth,  on  board  of  which  some 
horrid  act  of  murder  and  piracy  had  been  committed;  that 
the  plague  broke  out  among  the  wicked  crew,  and  that 
they  sailed  in  vain  from  port  to  port,  offering,  as  a  price  of 
shelter,  the  whole  of  their  ill-gotten  wealth;  that  they 
were  excluded  from  every  harbor,  and  that,  as  a  punish- 
ment of  their  crimes,  the  apparition  of  the  ship  still  con- 
tinues to  haunt  those  seas  in  which  the  catastrophe  took 
place."  The  superstition  has  its  origin,  probably,  in  the 
looming,  or  apparent  suspension  in  the  air,  of  some  ship 
out  of  sight,  —  a  phenomenon  sometimes  witnessed  at  sea, 
and  caused  by  unequal  refraction  in  the  lower  strata  of 
the  atmosphere. 

136.     What  was  the  " Banshee  "  ? 

In  the  popular  superstitions  of  the  Irish  and  the  Scotch, 
the  Banshee,  or  Benshie,  was  an  invisible  being,  supposed 


QUEER    QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  67 

to  announce  by  mournful  presence  and  voice  the  ap- 
proaching death  of  members  of  certain  ancient  houses. 
It  was  said  that,  on  the  decease  of  a  hero,  the  harps  of  his 
bards  voluntarily  emitted  mournful  sounds.  In  later 
limes  it  was  popularly  supposed  that  each  family  had  its 
banshee,  which  gave  warnings  of  misfortune,  or  haunted 
the  scenes  of  past  troubles. 

137.  What  was  the  "  Irish  Night"? 

This  was  a  night  of  agitation  and  terror  in  London  after 
the  flight  of  James  II.,  occasioned  by  an  unfounded  report 
that  the  Irish  Catholics  of  Feversham's  array  had  been  let 
loose  to  murder  the  Protestant  population,  men,  women, 
and  children. 

138.  Which  is  the  "  Keystone  State  "  ? 

The  State  of  Pennsylvania  is  so  called  from  its  having 
been  the  central  State  of  the  Union  at  the  time  of  the 
formation  of  the  Constitution.  If  the  names  of  the  thir- 
teen original  States  are  arranged  in  the  form  of  an  arch, 
Pennsylvania  will  occupy  the  place  of  the  keystone. 

139.  What  was  the  origin  of  "  Lynch  Law"? 

This  term  is  usually  alleged  to  be  derived  from  one 
John  Lynch,  who  lived  in  what  is  now  the  Piedmont  dis- 
trict of  Virginia,  at  the  time  when  that  district  was  the 
western  frontier  of  the  State,  and  when,  on  account  of 
the  distance  from  the  courts  of  law,  it  was  customary  to 
refer  the  adjustment  of  disputes  to  men  of  known  char- 
acter and  judgment  in  the  neighborhood.  This  man  be- 
came so  eminent  by  reason  of  the  wisdom  and  impartial- 
ity of  his  decisions,  that  he  was  known  throughout  the 


(>8  Ql'KKU    tJUKSTIONS    .VM>    KKAOY     ICKIM.IKS. 

country  as  "Judge  Lynch."  According  tt»  anotlior  ac- 
count, tho  term  is  derived  from  Col.  Charles  Lynch,  i\ 
brother  of  tho  founder  of  Lynchburg,  Va.,  who  was  an 
otVicer  of  the  American  Revolution.  His  residence  was 
on  the  Staunton,  in  Campl>ell  County.  At  that  time  the 
country  was  thinly  settled,  and  infested  by  a  lawless  band 
of  tories  and  desperadoes.  The  necessity  of  the  case  in- 
volved desperate  measures,  and  Colonel  Lyni-h,  then  a 
Icailing  Whig,  appreheuiled  and  had  them  punished  with- 
out any  supertluous  legal  ceremony.  A  third  ai'count  de- 
rives the  term  from  one  Janu^s  Lynch  Fitz  Stephen,  a 
merchant  of  Calway,  and  in  lo^C)  its  mayor.  His  .son 
liaving  been  convicted  oi'  inunler,  he,  Hrutus-like,  si-n- 
teneed  him  to  death,  and,  fearing  a  rescue,  caused  him  to 
be  brought  home  and  hanged  before  his  own  Aoov.  An- 
other writer  has  suggested  that  (he  origin  of  tiie  term  is 
to  be  found  in  the  provincial  English  word  linrh^  to  beat 
or  maltreat.  If  (his  were  admittinl,  Lyncli  law  would  IIumi 
be  simply  equivalent  to  "club  hiw." 

140.     Who  was  the  "  Maid  of  Saragossa  "  ? 

This  appellation  was  bestowed  upon  Augustina  Zaragosa, 
a  young  Spanish  woman,  distinguished  for  lier  heroism 
during  the  defence  of  Saragossa  in  1808-1809.  She  llrst 
attracted  notice  by  mounting  a  battery  wliore  her  lover 
had  fallen,  and  working  a  gun  in  his  ])laco.  Uyron  has 
celebrated  her  in  the  (irst  canto  of  liis  "  Childe  Harold." 

111.      What  was  the  origin  of  ''(piiz"? 

Daly,  the  manager  of  a  Dublin  play-houNe,  laid  a  wager 
that  a  new  word  of  no  nuianing  should  In;  the  common 
talk  and  puzzle  of  the  city  iu  tweuty-four  hours,     in  cou- 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  69 

sequence  of  this,  the  letters  q,  u,  i,  z  were  chalked  by  him 
on  all  the  walls  of  Dublin,  with  an  effect  that  won  the 
wager. 

142.  Who  was  the  "  Rail  Splitter  "  ? 

This  popular  designation  was  given  to  Abraham  Lin- 
coln (1809-1865),  the  sixteenth  President  of  the  United 
States,  who  is  said  to  have  supported  himself  for  one 
winter,  in  early  life,  by  splitting  rails  for  a  farmer. 

143.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  phi'ase  "  Before 
one  could  say  Jack  Robinson  "  ? 

This  saying,  used  to  express  a  very  short  time,  is  said 
by  Grose  to  have  originated  from  a  ver}^  volatile  gentleman 
of  that  appellation,  who  would  call  on  his  neighbors  and 
be  gone  before  his  name  could  be  announced.  The  fol- 
lowing lines  "  from  an  old  play  "  are  elsewhere  given  as 
the  original  phrase:  — 

"  A  warke  it  ys  as  easie  to  be  doone. 
As  tys  to  eaye,  Jacke !  robys  on." 

144.  Who  was  "  St.  Tammany  "  ? 

This  Indian  chief  has  been  popxdarhj  canonized  as  a 
saint,  and  adopted  as  the  tutelary  genius  of  one  branch 
of  the  Democratic  party.  Tammany  was  of  the  Dela- 
ware nation,  and  lived  probably  in  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  He  resided  in  the  country  which 
is  now  Delaware  imtil  he  was  of  age,  when  he  moved 
beyond  the  Alleghenies,  and  settled  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  He  became  a  chief  sachem  of  his  tribe,  and, 
being  always  a  friend  of  the  whites,  often  restrained  his 
warriors  from  deeds  of  violence.     His  rule  was  always 


70  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

discreet,  and  he  endeavored  to  induce  his  followers  to 
cultivate  agriculture  and  the  arts  of  peace  rather  than 
those  of  war.  When  he  became  old  he  called  a  council  to 
have  a  successor  appointed,  after  which  the  residue  of  his 
life  was  spent  in  retirement ;  and  tradition  relates  that 
"  young  and  old  repaired  to  his  wigwam  to  hear  him  dis- 
course wisdom."  His  great  motto  was, ''  Unite  in  peace 
for  happiness,  in  war  for  defence."  When  and  by  whom 
he  was  first  styled  Saint,  or  by  what  whim  he  was  chosen 
to  be  the  patron  of  Democracy,  does  not  appear. 

145.     "Who  ate  Roger  Williams  ? 

"  The  truth  that  matter  passes  from  the  animal  back  to 
the  vegetable,  and  from  the  vegetable  to  the  animal  king- 
dom again,  received,  not  long  since,  a  curious  illustration. 
For  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  suitable  mounment  in 
memory  of  Eoger  Williams,  the  founder  of  Rhode  Island, 
his  private  burj'ing-ground  was  searched  fur  the  graves  of 
himself  and  wife.  It  was  found  that  everything  had 
passed  into  oblivion.  The  shape  of  the  coffins  could  only 
be  traced  by  a  black  line  of  carbonaceous  matter.  The 
rusted  hinges  and  nails,  and  a  round  wooden  knob,  alone 
remained  in  one  grave  ;  while  a  single  lock  of  braided 
hair  was  found  in  the  other.  Near  the  graves  stood  an 
apple-tree.  This  had  sent  down  two  main  roots  into  the 
very  presence  of  the  coffined  dead.  The  larger  root, 
pushing  its  way  to  the  precise  spot  occupied  by  the  skull 
of  Roger  Williams,  had  made  a  turn  as  if  passing  around 
it,  and  followed  the  direction  of  the  backbone  to  the  hips. 
Here  it  divided  into  two  branches,  sending  one  along  each 
leg  to  the  heel,  when  both  turned  upward  to  the  toes. 
One  of  these  roots  formed  a  slight  crook  at  the  knee, 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  71 

which  made  the  whole  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
human  form.  (These  roots  are  now  deposited  in  the 
museum  of  Brown  University.)  There  were  the  graves, 
but  their  occupants  had  disajjpeared  ;  the  bones,  even, 
had  vanished.  There  stood  the  thief  —  the  guilty  apple- 
tree —  caught  in  the  very  act  of  robbery.  The  spoliation 
was  complete.  The  organic  matter  —  the  flesh,  the  bones 
—  of  Roger  Williams  had  passed  into  an  apple-tree.  The 
elements  had  been  absorbed  by  the  roots,  transmuted  into 
woody  fibre,  which  could  now  be  burned  as  fuel  or  carved 
into  ornaments  ;  had  bloomed  into  fragrant  blossoms, 
which  had  delighted  the  eye  of  passers-by,  and  scattered 
the  sweetest  perfume  of  spring  ;  more  than  that,  had  been 
converted  into  luscious  fruit,  which,  from  year  to  year,  had 
been  gathered  and  eaten.  How  pertinent,  then,  is  the  ques- 
tion, '  Who  ate  Roger  Williams  ?  '  "  —  Steele's  Chemistry. 


146.  How  were  bachelors  punished  at  Sparta? 

The  male  citizens  of  Sparta  who  remained  unmarried 
after  a  certain  age  were  subjected  to  a  species  of  atimy 
or  public  disgrace.  They  were  not  allowed  to  witness  the 
gymnastic  exercises  of  the  maidens;  and,  during  winter, 
they  were  compelled  to  march  naked  around  the  market- 
place, singing  a  song  composed  against  themselves,  and 
expressing  the  justice  of  their  punishment.  The  usual 
respect  of  the  young  to  the  old  was  not  paid  to  bachelors. 

147.  What  did  the  Indians  present  to  Penn's  widow? 

On  the  death  of  William  Penn,  the  Indians  sent  his 
widow  a  message  of  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  their  "  brother 
Onas"  (the  Indians  called  him  "  Onas,"  their  word  for 


72      QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

quill,  which  was  the  nearest  they  could  nrrive  at  pen), 
with  some  choice  skius  to  form  a  cloak  which  might  pro- 
tect her  "while  passing  through  the  thorny  wilderness 
without  her  guide." 

148.  What  animal  has  a  tail  so  large  that  it  some- 
times requires  to  be  carried  on  wheels  ? 

The  long-tailed  sheep  which  inhabits  Syria  and  Egypt 
has  a  tail  so  large  and  so  loaded  with  fat,  that  to  prevent  it 
from  being  injured  by  dragging  on  the  ground,  a  board  is 
fastened  to  the  under  side  of  it,  and  wheels  are  often  at- 
tached to  the  board.  The  peculiar  fat  of  the  tail  is  con- 
sidered a  great  delicacy,  and  is  so  soft  as  to  be  frequently 
used  as  butter.  The  weight  of  a  large  tail  is  about  seventy 
pounds. 

149.  Who  was  the  "  Little  Magician  "  ? 

Martin  Van  Buren  (1782-1862),  the  eighth  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  so  termed  from  his  adroitness  in 
political  methods,  and  the  art  with  which  he  made  friends 
and  avoided  making  enemies. 

150.  What  explorer  drove  a  herd  of  hogs  before  him 
for  food? 

"\Yhen  Ferdinand  De  Soto  set  out  on  his  conquest  of 
Florida,  he  took,  among  other  things,  a  large  herd  of  hogs 
with  him  to  fatten  on  the  maize  of  the  country.  It  was 
thought  that  these,  together  Avith  their  rapid  increase, 
would  form  a  considerable  supply  of  food  for  the  conquer- 
ing army. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  73 

151.  When,  where,  and  }3y  whom  was  the  first  gun 
of  the  late  Civil  War  fired? 

At  half  past  four  o'clock,  Friday  morning,  April  12, 
1861,  from  Battery  Stevens  in  Charleston  Harbor,  upon 
Fort  Sumter,  by  Edmund  RufRn,  of  Virginia.  At  seven 
o'clock,  Captain  Abner  Doubleday,  U.  S.  A.,  fired  the 
first  shot  in  defence  of  the  Union. 

152.  Who  was  the  last  Union  general  killed  in  the 
Rebellion  ? 

Brigadier-General  Thomas  Smythe.  He  was  mortally 
wounded  near  Farmville,  Virginia,  April  6,  1865,  and  died 
at  Petersburg  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month.  General 
Smythe  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in 
childhood,  settling  at  Wilmington,  Delaware.  He  entered 
the  Union  ranks  in  1861,  and  was  made  a  brigadier-general 
June  3,  1864,  for  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Cold 
Harbor. 

153.  What  words  contain  all  the  vowels  in  order? 
The  author  knows  of  but  three,  —  abstemiously,  arseni- 

ous,  and  facetiously. 

154.  Which  is  the  most  useful  tree  in  the  world? 

The  palm-tree  is  undoubtedly  the  most  useful  product  of 
the  vegetable  kingdom.  It  is  impossible  to  overestimate 
the  utility  of  these  trees.  They  furnish  food,  shell er, 
clothing,  timber,  fuel,  building  materials,  sticks,  fibres, 
paper,  starch,  sugar,  oil,  wax,  wine,  tannin,  dyeing  mate- 
rials, resin,  and  a  host  of  minor  products,  which  rend  r 
them  most  valuable  to  the  natives  and  to  tropical  agricul- 
turists. 


74  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

155.  Which  is  the  only  canonized  saint  of  American 
birth? 

St.  Rosa  (158G-1617),  commonly  called  St.  Rose  of 
Lima.  Her  parents  were  wealthy  Spaniards,  anJ  gave  her 
in  baptism  the  name  of  Isabel;  but,  it  is  said,  lier  extreme 
beauty  in  childhood  made  them  call  lier  Rdsa.  Their  for- 
tune having  been  swept  away,  Rosa  was  taken  into  the 
household  of  the  treasurer  Gonsalvo,  where  she  supported 
her  parents  by  her  labor  while  following  her  bent  for  as- 
ceticism. She  refused  every  matrimonial  offer,  assumed 
the  habit  of  the  third  order  of  St.  Dominic,  and  lived  a 
recluse  in  the  garden  of  her  protectors.  She  was  canon- 
ized by  Pope  Clement  X.  in  1671,  and  her  feast  was  fixed 
on  Aug.  30. 

156.  When  and  where  did  the  first  legishitive  as- 
sembly convene  in  America? 

The  first  legislative  body  that  ever  assembled  in  Am^erica 
was  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  which  convened  at 
Jamestown,  July  30,  1619.  Virginia  had  previously  been 
divided  into  eleven  boroughs, — James  City,  Charles  City, 
the  City  of  Henricus,  Kiccowlan  or  Hampton,  Martin- 
Brandon,  Smythe's  Hundred,  Martin's  Hundred,  Argall's 
Gift,  Lawne's  Plantation,  Ward's  Plantation,  and  Flower- 
dieu  Hundred,  —  each  of  which  sent  two  burgesses.  They 
held  their  session  in  the  old  church  at  Jamestown  until 
they  could  provide  more  suitable  quarters.  Thej  sat  with 
their  hats  on,  as  in  the  English  Commons,  the  members 
occupying  "  the  choir,  "  with  the  governor  and  council  in 
the  front  seats.*  The  Speaker,  Master  John  Pory,  with 
the  clerk  and  sergeant,  faced  them,  and  the  session  was 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  75 

opened  with  prayer  by  Mr.  Bucke,  after  which  the  bur- 
gesses took  the  oath  of  supremacy. 

157.  Who  was  the  Nimrod  of  the  Bible? 

Izdubar,  an  early  Babylonian  king  and  hero,  was  most 
probably  the  Nimrod  of  the  Bible.  In  a  fragment  of  a 
Chaldsean  tradition  of  the  Deluge,  discovered  in  1872  by 
Mr.  George  Smith  of  the  British  Museum,  Izdubar  appears 
as  a  giant  residing  in  the  country  of  Accad,  a  subduer  of 
great  animals  in  the  post-diluvian  times,  and  a  mighty 
conqueror  who  acquired  the  sovereignty,  which  he  exer- 
cised in  the  city  of  Erech  or  Uruk,  the  earliest  capital  of 
Babylonia. 

158.  Where  in  the  Bible  are  we  told  in  one  verse 
not  to  do  a  thing  and  in  the  next  to  do  it  ? 

"  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest  thou 
also  be  like  unto  him."  —  Prov.  xxvi.  4. 

"  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest  he  be  wise 
in  his  own  conceit."  — Prov.  xxvi.  6. 

159.  What  did  the  Indians  at  Jamestown  plant  in 
order  to  raise  ammunition  ? 

It  is  said  that,  having  seized  a  quantity  of  gunpowder 
belonging  to  the  colonists,  they  planted  it  for  seed,  ex- 
pecting to  reap  a  full  harvest  of  ammunition  for  the  next 
contest. 

160.  When  was  the  first  bloodshed  in  the  late  Civil 
War? 


76       QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

Oa  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  two  young  men  —  Luther  C. 
Ladd  and  A.  O.  Whitney  —  from  Lowell,  Mass.,  were 
killed  by  a  mob  while  their  regiment  was  passing  through 
the  streets  of  Baltimore  on  their  way  to  the  defence  of 
Washington.  This  was  the  first  bloodshed  in  the  Rebellion. 
To  their  honor  a  granite  monument  has  been  erected  in 
Merrimack  Street,  Lowell,  and  in  the  same  enclosure  is  a 
bronze  statue  of  Victory,  by  the  German  sculptor  Kauch, 
to  commemorate  the  triumph  of  the  Northern  cause. 

161.  What  African  capital  was  named  from  a  Pi'esi- 
dent  of  the  United  States? 

Monrovia,  the  capital  of  the  republic  of  Liberia,  was 
named  in  honor  of  James  Monroe,  who  was  President  of 
the  United  States  at  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the 
Liberian  Eepublic. 

162.  How  many  people  did  the  ship  Mayflower 
bring  over? 

There  was  on  board  of  this  single  ship  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  tons  a  "  floating  village  of  one  hundred  and 
two  souls,"  not  of  resolute  men  only,  but  also  their  wives 
and  children. 

163.  Who  delivered  the  funeral  oration  on  the  death 
of  Washington? 

General  Henry  Lee,  commonly  known  as  "  Light  Horse 
Harry,"  delivered  the  funeral  oration  of  Washington,  at 
the  German  Lutheran  Church,  Philadelphia,  Dec.  26, 1799. 
A  resolution  of  thanks  was  unanimously  passed  by  Con- 
gress the  following  day. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  77 

164.  Which  is  the  nearest  approach  yet  made  to  the 
North  Pole? 

On  the  18lh  of  Maj^,  1882,  Lieutenant  James  B.  Lock- 
wood,  U.  S.  A.,  of  the  Greely  expedition,  reached  the 
h\tilude  of  eighty-three  degrees  and  twenty-four  minutes 
on  the  north  coast  of  Greenland.  This  was  twenty-eight 
miles  farther  north  than  ever  before  known.  Previous  to 
this  the  greatest  northing  was  that  made  by  Commander 
Markham,  E.  N.,  who,  on  May  12,  1876,  reached  eighty- 
three  degrees  twenty  minutes  and  twenty-six  seconds 
north  on  the  frozen  Polar  Ocean. 

165.  When  was  the  price  of  flour  made  to  depend 
upon  the  result  of  a  Presidential  election  ? 

In  1840,  men  of  business  advertised  to  pay  six  dollars 
a  barrel  if  Harrison  were  elected,  and  only  three  dollars  a 
barrel  if  Van  Buren  were  elected. 

166.  Which  is  the  "  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun"? 

The  poetical  name  by  which  the  Japanese  designate 
their  country  is  the  "  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun,"  which 
well  describes  its  location  as  the  most  eastern  of  all  Asiatic 
empires,  and  their  national  emblem  represents  the  sun  as 
rising  from  the  sea.  The  name  Japan  is  a  corruption  of 
Maico  Polo's  term  Zipangu,  which,  in  turn,  is  a  corruption 
of  Jipunquo,  which  is  of  Chinese  origin,  and  means  "  The 
Country  at  the  Root  of  the  Sun." 

167.  Which  is  the  "  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun"? 

The  Scandinavian  Peninsula.  "  From  the  last  days  of 
May  to  the  end  of  July,  in  the  northern  part  of  this  land, 


78  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

the  suu  shines  day  and  night  upon  its  mountains,  fjords, 
rivers,  lakes,  forests,  towns,  villages,  hamlets,  fields,  and 
farms  ;  and  thus  Sweden  and  Norway  may  be  called  '  The 
Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun.'  During  this  period  of  contin- 
uous daylight  the  stars  are  never  seen,  the  moon  appears 
pale  and  sheds  no  light  upon  the  earth,"  —  Du  Chaillu's 
Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun. 

168.  When  did  the  postal  card  come  into  use  in 
the  United  States? 

By  the  Act  of  June  8,  1872,  the  Postmaster-General 
was  authorized  and  directed  to  issue  postal  cards  to  the 
public  at  a  cost  of  one  cent  each.  The 'first  cards  were 
issued  in  May,  1873.  The  invention  of  postal  cards  is 
attributed  to  Prof.  Emanuel  Herman,  of  Vienna.  They 
were  used  in  England,  Germany,  and  Switzerland  in  1870, 
and  have  since  been  introduced  into  other  European 
countries.  In  some  countries  a  card  is  attached  on  which 
an  answer  can  be  returned. 

169.  What  President  worked  on  a  ferry-boat  when 

a  young  man  ? 

In  1825,  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  in  his  seventeenth 
year,  was  employed  by  James  Taylor  for  nine  months  at 
six  dollars  a  month  to  manage  a  ferry-boat  which  j^lied 
between  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  also  of  Anderson 
Creek. 

170.  What  general  shot  a  wolf  in  her  den  by  the 
light  of  her  own  eyes  ? 


QUEER    QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  79 

General  Israel  Putnam,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  once  had 
a  famous  encounter  with  a  she-wolf  that  had  for  several 
years  preyed  upon  the  flocks  and  cattle  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. Having  discovered  her  den,  he  entered  it  alone  by 
creeping  into  a  narrow  opening,  and  shot  and  killed  the 
wolf  by  the  light  of  her  own  glaring  eyes  as  she  was  ad- 
vancing to  attack  him.  This  adventure,  which  gave  him  a 
wide  reputation  for  courage,  took  place  near  Pomfret, 
Conn.,  when  Putnam  was  but  twenty-five  years  old. 

171.  What  did  the  Indians  suppose  the  ships  of 
Columbus  to  be  ? 

They  supposed  the  ships  to  be  huge  white-winged  birds, 
and  the  Spaniards  to  have  come  from  heaven. 

172.  What  President  never  attended  school  a  day 
in  his  life? 

Andrew  Johnson,  on  account  of  extreme  poverty,  never 
received  any  schooling,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  Mr.  Selby,  a  tailor  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  A 
gentleman  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  shop  and  read- 
ing to  the  workmen,  generally  from  "  The  American 
Speaker,"  and  Andrew  became  intensely  interested,  espe- 
cially in  the  extracts  from  the  speeches  of  Pitt  and  Fox, 
and  determined  to  secure  an  education.  From  a  fellow- 
workman  he  learned  the  alphabet,  and  from  a  friend  some- 
thing of  spelling.  Thenceforth,  after  working  ten  or 
twelve  hours  a  day  at  his  trade,  he  spent  two  or  three 
every  night  in  study.  After  his  marriage  at  Greenville, 
Tenn.,  he  continued  his  studies  under  the  instruction  of 
his  wife,  with  whose  aid  he  learned  to  write  and  ciphrr, 
while  pursuing  his  trade  as  before  by  day. 


80  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND    READY   REPLIES. 

173.  How  was  Napoleon  paid  for  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  ? 

He  was  paid  $11,250,000  in  six  per  cent,  bonds,  payable 
fifteen  years  after  date.  The  price  paid  for  Louisiana  was 
$15,000,000,  but  cue  quarter  of  this  was  due  to  American 
citizens  for  French  depredations  upon  our  commerce. 

174.  When  was  the  flag  of  a  republic  first  set  up  on 
American  soil? 

In  1497,  John  Cabot  discovered  North  America  and  set 
up  —  together  with  the  standard  of  England  —  the  banner 
of  his  native  land,  the  republic  of  Venice. 

175.  What  was  the  "  Confederate  candle  "  ? 

The  "  Confederate  candle  "  consisted  of  a  long  wick 
coated  with  wax  and  resin,  and  wound  on  a  little  wooden 
frame,  at  the  top  of  which  was  nailed  a  bit  of  tin.  The 
end  of  the  wick,  being  passed  through  a  hole  in  the  tin, 
was  lighted  and  uncoiled  as  needed. 

1 76.  What  was  the  Holy  Grail  ? 

According  to  some  legends  of  the  Middle  Ages,  the  Holy 
Grail  was  the  cup  (said  to  be  emerald)  used  by  our  Saviour 
in  dispensing  the  wine  at  the  Last  Supper;  and  according 
to  others,  it  was  the  platter  on  which  the  Paschal  Lamb 
was  served  at  the  last  Passover  observed  by  our  Lord. 
By  some  it  was  said  to  have  been  preserved  by  Joseph  of 
Arimathea,  who  received  into  it  the  blood  which  flowed 
from  the  Kedeemer's  wounds  as  he  hung  on  the  cross. 
By  others  it  was  said  to  have  been  brought  down  from 
heaven  by  angels,  and  committed  to  the  charge  of  a  body 
of  knights,  who  guarded  it  on  the  top  of  a  lofty  mountain. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  81 

This  cup,  according  to  the  legend,  if  approached  by  any 
but  a  perfectly  pure,  chaste,  and  holy  person,  would  be 
borne  away,  and  vanish  from  their  sight.  This  led  to  the 
quest  of  the  Holy  Grail,  which  was  to  be  sought  on  every 
side  by  a  knight  who  was  perfectly  chaste  in  thought,  word, 
and  act.  It  is  to  this  that  some  of  the  later  English  poets 
have  referred,  especially  Tennyson  in  his  "  Sir  Gallahad": 

"  Sometimes  on  lonely  mountain  meres 

I  find  a  magic  bark ; 
I  leap  on  board  ;  no  helmsman  steers; 

I  float  till  all  is  dark. 
A  gentle  sound,  an  awful  light! 

Three  angels  bear  the  Holy  Grail. 
With  folded  feet,  in  stoles  of  white, 

On  sweeping  wings  they  sail.  " 

177.  Where  is  the  "  Devil's  Wall "  ? 

This  name  is  given  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbor- 
hood to  the  old  Koman  wall  separating  England  from 
Scotland,  because  they  suppose  that  from  the  strength  of 
the  cement  and  the  durability  of  the  stone,  the  devil  must 
have  built  it.  The  superstitious  peasantry  are  said  to  be 
in  the  habit  of  srathering  up  the  fragments  of  this  wall  to 
put  in  the  foundation  of  their  own  tenements,  to  insure  an 
equal  solidity. 

178.  Who  was  the  youngest  President? 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  who  was  not  forty-seven  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  inauguration. 

1 79 .  Who  was  ' '  Foul- weather  Jack  "  ? 

Commander  Byron  (1723-1786)  was  so  called  by  the  men 
who  sailed  under  him,  in  allusion  to  his  ill-fortune  at  sea. 
6 


82  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

180.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  Pacific  Ocean  dis- 
covered ? 

During  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries,  Marco 
Polo  and  his  successors  travelled  far  to  the  East,  and  came 
to  an  ocean  of  unknown  <^xtent  ;  and  they  partially  ex' 
plored  its  western  coast.  But  it  was  not  until  nearly  two 
centuries  after  this,  that  the  existence  of  this  great  ocean 
was  established  to  Europeans  ;  and  the  honor  of  its  dis- 
covery justly  belongs  to  Vasco  N'unez  de  Balbao,  or  Bal- 
boa, the  leader  of  a  Spanish  party  exploring  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  who,  on  the  29th  of  September,  1513,  saw, 
from  the  summit  of  a  mountain,  avast  ocean  to  the  west. 
Balbao  prostrated  himself  upon  the  ground;  then,  rising 
to  his  knees,  he  thanked  God  "  it  had  pleased  his  Divine 
Majesty  to  reserve  unto  that  day  the  victory  and  praise 
of  so  great  a  thing  unto  him."  When  he  reached  the 
coast  he  advanced  waist-deep  into  the  waves,  drew  his 
sword,  and  swore,  as  a  true  knight,  that  he  would  defend 
it,  with  its  coast,  islands,  and  all  that  it  contained,  for  his 
master,  the  king  of  Spain.  Because  he  discovered  it  on 
Michaelmas  day,  Balbao  named  it  the  Qolfo  de  San 
Miguel. 

181.  What  sect  believes  in  the  existence  of  one 
hundred  and  thirt^^-six  hells  ? 

According  to  Buddhist  belief,  there  are,  situated  in  the 
interior  of  the  earth,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  hells. 
These  places  of  punishment  have  a  regular  gradation  in 
the  intensity  of  the  suffering  and  the  length  of  time  the 
sufferers  live,  the  least  term  of  life  being  ten  millions  of 
years,  the  longer  terms  being  almost  beyond  the  powers 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  83 

of  even  Indian  notation  to  express.  But  however  long 
the  Hfe,  it  has  an  end,  and  at  its  close  the  individual  must 
be  born  again. 

182.  "What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Budd- 
hists called? 

The  TripitaTca  (i.  e.,  "  Triple  Basket")  is  the  Bible  of 
Buddhism.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  sixteen  volumes, 
and  is  divided  into  three  classes  :  the  Sutra,  or  discourses 
of  Buddha;  the  Vinaya,  or  discipline,  and  the  Ahhidharma, 
or  metaphysics.  They  contain  sublime,  moral,  and  pure 
aspirations,  and  their  author  lived  and  died  in  the  sixth 
century  B.  C.  Buddhism  has  now  existed  for  nearly 
twenty-five  centuries,  and  may  be  said  to  be  the  prevailing 
religion  of  the  world,  as  its  adherents  are  estimated  at 
from  400,000,000  to  500,000,000  souls, —more  than  one 
third  of  the  human  race. 

183.  What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Chinese 
called  ? 

King  (i.  e.,  "The  Books")  is  the  collective  name  of 
the  canonical  works  of  the  adherents  of  Confucius.  It  is 
divided  into  five  books.  These  are  the  Yih-King,  or  the 
Book  of  Changes,  —  originally  a  cosmological  essay,  now, 
curiously  enough,  regarded  as  a  treatise  on  ethics  ;  *S7iw- 
King,  or  the  Book  of  Annals,  —  a  history  of  the  delibera- 
tions between  the  Emperors  Yayu  and  Shun,  and  other 
personages,  called  by  Confucius  the  Ancient  Kings,  and 
for  whose  maxims  and  actions  he  had  the  highest  venera- 
tion; the  SJii-King,  or  the  Book  of  Songs,  —  a  book  of 
sacred  songs,  consisting  of    three  hundred    and    eleven 


84  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY  REPLIES. 

poems,  the  best  of  which  every  well-educated  Chinaman 
gets  by  heart;  the  Le-King,  or  the  Book  of  Rites,  — the 
foundation  of  Chinese  manners,  prescribing,  as  it  does, 
the  ceremonies  to  be  observed  in  all  the  relationships  of 
life,  and  the  great  cause  of  the  unchangeablencss  and  ar- 
tificiality of  Chinese  habits  ;  and  the  Chnu-tsien,— a,  his- 
tory by  Confucius  of  his  own  times,  and  those  which 
immediately  preceded  him.  These  works  stand  at  the 
head  of  the  vast  literature  of  the  Chinese,  and  constitute 
the  sacred  books  of  about  80,000,000  of  people. 

184.     What   are   the   sacred   books  of   the  ancient 
Scandinavians  called? 

The  Edclas  are  the  sacred  books  of  the  old  Scandinavian 
tribes.  There  are  two  Avorks  which  bear  this  name,  —  the 
Edda  Scemundar  hins  Froda,  or  Edda  of  Sffimund  the 
Wise,  and  the  Edda  Snorri  Sturlusonar.  The  former, 
and  older  of  these,  contains  the  mythology  of  the  Scan- 
dinavians, with  some  historical  narrations  of  a  romantic 
cast,  embodied  in  thirty-nine  poems,  of  unknown  author- 
ship and  date,  which  were  collected  by  Ssemund  Sigfusson, 
surnamed  Frodi,  an  Icelandic  priest,  1054-1133.  The 
second  is  a  collection  of  the  myths  of  the  gods,  and  of 
expbinations  of  the  types  and  metres  of  the  pagan  poetry, 
intended  for  the  instruction  of  the  young  skalds,  or  poets. 
It  is  chiefly  in  prose,  and  is  the  work  of  several  authors, 
although  ascribed  to  Snorri  Sturleson,  1178-1241.  The 
name  Edda,  which  means  great-grandmother  (i.  e.,  of 
Scandinavian  poetry),  was  applied  to  these  works  by 
Brynjolf  Svendson,  bishop  of  Skalholt,  by  whom  they 
were  discovered  and  first  brought  before  the  notice  of 
European  scholars  in  1643. 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.       85 

185.  What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Hindoos 
called  ? 

The  Vedas  ("  Knowledge  ")  are  the  sacred  books  of  the 
Hindoos.  These  books  are  of  great  antiquity,  but  of  un- 
certain date.  There  are  four  books  :  the  oldest  is  the 
Bijvedaj  —  the  Veda  of  praise;  next,  the  Yajurveda,  —  the 
Veda  of  sacrifice;  the  Samaveda,  —  the  Veda  of  chant- 
ing ;  and  the  latest  the  Atharvaveda,  which  is  made  up 
after  the  manner  of  the  Samaveda,  but  containing  addi- 
tional extracts  from  the  Rijveda  ;  its  object  is  to  teach 
how  to  appease,  to  bless,  to  curse,  etc.  Each  of  the 
Vedas  contains  a  Sanhita,  or  collection  of  hymns,  and  an 
accompanying  Brahmana,  or  commentary.  They  are 
written  in  Sanskrit. 

186.  What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Persians 
called  ? 

The  Zend-Avesta  ("  Commentary  and  Text,"  Avesta 
being  properly  the  sacred  text ;  and  Zend,  its  interpreta- 
tion into  more  modern  and  intelligible  language)  is  the 
Bible  of  the  ancient  Persians  and  of  the  modern  Parsees 
or  Guebres,  who  number  about  7,000  in  Persia,  and  200,- 
000  in  India.  It  is  ascribed  to  Zoroaster,  who  is  said  to 
have  written  2,000,000  verses,  covering  12,000  cow-skin 
parchments.  In  its  present  fragmentary  state,  it  consists 
of  the  Vendidad  of  twenty-two  chapters,  being  the  one' 
surviving  part  (the  twentieth)  of  an  original  work  of 
twenty-one  parts;  the  Yazna,  of  seventy-two  chapters; 
the  VUparad,  of  twenty-three  chapters;  twenty-four  sec- 
tions called  Yashts ;  and  a  few  fragments.  It  is,  next  to 
the  Bible,  the  best  of  the  sacred  writings. 


86  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

187.  What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Moham- 
medans called  ? 

The  Koran,  or  Al-Coran,  ("  The  Eeading  "),is  the  book 
of  faith  of  the  Mohammedans,  or  of  about  one  seventh 
of  the  human  race.  It  is  a  single  volume  of  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  chapters,  of  very  unequal  length,  written  in 
Arabic,  and  containing  the  doctrines  and  pretended  reve- 
lations of  Mohammed,  "The  Prophet,"  whose  followers 
number  about  201,000,000. 

188.  What  are  the  sacred  writings  of  the  ancient 
Japanese  ? 

The  Kojiki  ("Book  of  Ancient  Traditions")  is  the 
Bible  and  oldest  monument  of  Shintonism,  the  ancient 
religion  of  Japan.  It  is  written  in  pure  Japanese,  and 
was  composed  by  order  of  the  Mikado  Gemmio,  A.  D. 
712,  and  first  printed  about  1625.  Shintonism  has  no 
moral  code,  and  consists  chiefly  in  the  imitation  and  deifi- 
cation of  illustrious  ancestors,  emi:)erors,  heroes,  and 
scholars,  the  veneration  of  fire  and  light,  and  the  inculca- 
tion of  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Mikado.  Its  adhe- 
rents now  number  only  about  14,000,000,  as  Buddhism  is 
now  the  prevailing  religion  in  Japan. 

189.  What  are  the  "  Seven  Bibles  of  the  World  "? 

They  are  the  ScriiHures  of  the  Christians  ;  the  Zend- 
Avesta  of  the  Persians  ;  the  four  Yedas  of  the  Hindoos  ; 
the  Tripitaka  of  the  Buddhists  ;  the  five  Kings  of  the 
Chinese  ;  the  two  Eddas  of  the  Scandinavians,  and  the 
Koran  of  tlie  ISIohammedans.  Of  these  the  Scriptures 
are  the  oldest  and  the  Koran  the  most  recent. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  87 

190.  What  President  wrote  liis  own  epitaph? 

Thomas  Jefferson  wrote  his  own  epitaph,  as  follows  : 
"  Here  lies  buried  Thomas  Jefferson,  author  of  the 
Declaralion  of  Independence,  of  the  Statute  of  Virginia 
for  lleligious  Freedom,  and  Father  of  the  University  of 
Virginia." 

191.  When  was  the  first  national  convention  for  the 
nomination  of  candidates  for  the  Presidency  and  Vice- 
Presidency  held  ? 

National  conventions  for  the  nomination  of  candidates 
were  unknown  before  1830.  In  1830,  an  Anti-Masonic 
national  convention  was  held,  in  which  the  party  resolved, 
among  other  things,  to  put  forward  candidates  for  Presi- 
dent and  Vice-President,  and  a  second  convention  was 
called  to  meet  in  Baltimore,  in  September,  1831,  to  make 
the  nominations.  In  1832,  that  being  the  election  year, 
the  Democrats  held  a  national  convention  at  Baltimore,  to 
nominate  a  Vice-President,  it  being  generally  understood 
that  Jackson  was  to  be  re-elected. 


192.  Who  was  the  first  President  nominated  by 
national  convention  ? 

Martin  Van  Buren  in  1835.  The  Whigs,  his  ojiponents, 
held  no  such  meeting,  and  contented  themselves  with  sup- 
porting Harrison  as  the  nominee  of  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Convention.  In  1839  the  Whigs  nominated  Harrison 
in  national  convention,  and  elected  him  triumphantly. 
Thenceforward,  the  practice  of  holding  national  conven- 
tions became  general  with  all  parties. 


88  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

193.  Where  were  the  different  Presidents  nomi- 
nated ? 

Van  Buren,  at  Baltimore,  1835,  by  the  Democrats. 

Harrison,  at  Harrisburg,  1839,  by  the  Whigs. 

Polk,  at  Baltimore,  1844,  by  the  Democrats. 

Taylor,  at  Philadelphia,  1848,  by  the  Whigs. 

Pierce,  at  Baltimore,  1852,  by  the  Democrats. 

Buchanan,  at  Cincinnati,  1850,  by  the  Democrats. 

Lincoln  (first  term),  at  Chicago,  1860,  by  the  Republicans. 

Lincoln  (second  term),  at  Baltimore,  1864,  by  the  Repub- 
licans. 

Grant  (first  term), at  Chicago,  1868,  by  the  Republicans. 

Grant  (second  term),  at  Philadelphia,  1872,  by  the  Re- 
publicans. 

Hayes,  at  Cincinnati,  1876,  by  the  Republicans. 

Garfield,  at  Chicago,  1880,  by  the  Republicans. 

Cleveland,  at  Chicago,  1884,  by  the  Democrats. 

194.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  first  national  po- 
litical platform  adopted  ? 

The  first  national  political  platform  was  adopted  by  the 
Democratic  convention  at  Baltimore,  May  5,  1840. 

195.  Which  is  the  "  Blue  Hen  State  "  ? 

This  is  a  popular  name  for  the  State  of  Delaware.  This 
sobriquet  is  said  to  have  had  its  origin  in  a  certain  Captain 
Caldwell's  fondness  for  the  amusement  of  cock-fighting. 
Caldwell  was,  for  a  time,  an  officer  of  the  First  Delaware 
Regiment,  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  greatly 
distinguished  for  his  daring  and  undaunted  spirit.     He 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  89 

was  exceedingly  popular  in  the  regiment,  and  its  high  state 
of  discipline  was  generally  conceded  to  be  due  to  his  exer- 
tions ;  so  that  when  officers  were  sent  on  a  recruiting  ser- 
vice, to  enlist  new  men,  in  order  to  fill  vacancies  caused 
by  death  or  otherwise,  it  was  a  saying,  that  they  had  gone 
home  for  more  of  Caldwell's  game-cocks;  but  as  Caldwell 
insisted  that  no  cock  could  be  truly  game  unless  the 
mother  was  a  blue  hen,  the  expression  Blue  Hell's  Chick- 
ens was  substituted  for  game-cocks. 


196.  What  State  is  called  "  The  Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground  "  ? 

Kentucky,  of  which  name  the  above  is  said  to  be  the 
translation.  The  phrase  is  an  epitome  of  the  early  history 
of  the  State,  of  the  dark  and  bloody  conflicts  of  the  first 
white  settlers  with  their  savage  foes  ;  but  the  name  origi- 
nated in  the  fact  that  this  was  the  grand  battle-ground 
between  the  Northern  and  Southern  Indians. 

197.  Who  was  the  author  of  "  Greenbacks"? 

Salmon  Portland  Chase  (1808-1873),  President  Lin- 
coln's Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  afterwards  Chief 
Justice  of  the  United  States.  The  financial  policy  which 
carried  the  nation  through  the  civil  war  was  mainly  the 
work  of  Mr.  Chase.  One  of  its  essential  features  was  the 
issue  of  United  States  notes,  known  as  "  Greenbacks," 
which  bore  no  interest,  but  were  made  legal  tender. 

198.  What  battle  of  the  Rebellion  was  fought  above 
the  clouds  ? 


90      QUEER  QUESTIOXS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

This  far-famed  "  battle  above  the  clouds  "  took  place 
on  Lookout  Mountain,  Tennessee,  on  the  morning  of  the 
23d  of  November,  1863.  A  dense  fog  hung  like  a  hood 
over  the  mountain,  as  the  Federals  under  Hooker 
charged  the  Eebel  fortifications.  His  troops  had  been 
ordered  to  stop  on  the  high  ground,  but,  taking  advantage 
of  the  fog,  and  carried  away  by  the  ardor  of  the  attack, 
they  sprang  up  the  almost  inaccessible  slopes  of  the  moun- 
tain with  resistless  energy,  and  swept  over  the  crest, 
driving  the  enemy  before  them.  The  Union  flag  was  car- 
ried to  the  top;  and  before  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
Lookout  Mountain,  with  its  cloud-capped  summit,  was 
swarming  with  Federal  soldiers.  Grant  is  reported  to 
have  declared  the  so-called  "  battle  above  the  clouds  "  to 
be  "  all  poetry,  there  having  been  no  action  there  worthy 
the  name  of  battle." 

199.  Why  was  John  Quincy  Adams  so  named? 

The  origin  of  his  name  was  thus  stated  by  himself  : 
"My  great-grandfather,  John  Quincy,  was  dying  Avhen  I 
was  baptized,  and  his  daughter,  my  grandmother,  re- 
quested I  might  receive  his  name.  This  fact,  recorded  by 
my  father,  has  connected  with  my  name  a  charm  of  min- 
gled sensibility  and  devotion.  It  was  filial  tenderness  that 
gave  the  name,  —  it  was  the  name  of  one  passing  from 
earth  to  immortality.  These  have  been  through  life  per- 
petual admonitions  to  do  nothing  unworthy  of  it." 

200.  What  President  was  the  oldest  when  elected? 

William  Henry  Harrison,  who  was  sixty-eight  years  of 
age  when  inaugurated.  The  average  age  of  Presidents, 
when  elected,  has  been  fifty-seven  years. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  91 

201.  What  colony  was  founded  as  a  home  for  the 
poor  ? 

Georgia,  the  thirteenth  American  colony,  was  founded 
in  a  spirit  of  pure  benevolence.  The  laws  of  England 
permitted  imprisonment  for  debt.  Thousands  of  English 
laborers,  who  through  misfortune  and  thoughtless  con- 
tracts had  become  indebted  to  the  rich,  were  annually 
arrested  and  thi'own  into  jail.  Whole  families  were  des- 
titute or  starving.  To  provide  a  refuge  for  these  down- 
trodden poor  of  England,  and  the  distressed  Protestants 
of  other  countries,  James  Oglethorpe,  the  philanthropist, 
a  member  of  Parliament,  appealed  to  George  II.  for  the 
privilege  of  planting  a  colony  in  America.  The  petition 
was  favorably  heard,  and  on  the  9th  of  June,  1732,  a 
royal  charter  was  issued,  by  which  the  territory  between 
the  Savannah  and  Altamaha  Rivers,  and  westward  from 
the  upper  fountains  of  those  rivers  to  the  Pacific,  was  or- 
ganized and  granted  to  a  corporation  for  twenty-one  years, 
to  he  held  in  trxistfor  the  poor.  In  honor  of  the  king,  the 
new  province  received  the  name  of  Georgia. 

202,  "Who  was  the  "  Colossus  of  American  Inde- 
pendence "  ? 

John  Adams.  By  his  energy  and  eloquence  he  did  more 
than  any  other  man  to  crystallize  the  American  sentiment 
in  favor  of  independence.  He  was  a  member  of  the  cele- 
brated committee  appointed  to  draft  the  immortal  "  Dec- 
laration." In  the  debates  on  that  instrument,  he  was  its 
chief  defender  ;  and  it  was  he  who  jiersuaded  Congress 
to  adopt  it.  He  was  the  most  distinguished  signer.  Jef- 
ferson himself  said,  that  '■  he  [Adams]  was  the  pillar  of 
its  support ;  its  ablest  advocate  and  defender." 


92  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   BEADY   REPLIES. 

203.  What  were  the  last  intelligible  words. of  Bene- 
dict Arnold  ? 

"  Bring  me,  I  beg  you,  the  epaulets  and  sword-knots 
which  Washington  gave  me.  Let  me  die  in  my  old  Amer- 
ican uniform,  the  uniform  in  which  I  fought  my  battles. 
God  forgive  me  for  ever  putting  on  any  other." 

204.  What  bird  is  an  apt  illustration  of  the  prov- 
erb that  "  Pride  will  have  a  fall  "  ?  ' 

The  pouter  pigeon.  It  stands  perpendicularly  erect, 
and  seems  exceedingly  vain  of  the  swollen  crop  which 
gives  it  the  name  of  pouter.  It  can  inflate  its  crop  with 
air,  until  the  head  is  almost  hidden  behind  it.  This  infla- 
tion oftentimes  causes  the  bird  to  lose  its  balance,  and  to 
fall  down  chimneys,  on  which  it  is  fond  of  standing, 
thereby  aptly  illustrating  the  proverb,  that  "  Pride  wili 
have  a  fall." 

205.  What  noted  poet  was  so  thin  that  he  was  said 
to  wear  lead  in  his  shoes  to  keep  himself  from  being 
blown  away  by  the  wind  ? 

Philetas,  a  distinguished  poet  and  critic  of  the  Alexan- 
drian school,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  and  third  centuries 
B.  C,  was  so  sickly  and  so  thin,  that  the  comic  poets 
stated  that  he  used  to  wear  lead  in  his  shoes  to  keep  him- 
self from  being  blown  away.  The  story  runs  that  he  died 
from  the  excessive  assiduity  with  which  he  sought  the 
answer  to  the  sophistical  problem,  called  "The  Liar," 
viz.:  If  a  man  says  he  is  telling  a  lie,  does  he  speak  truly 
or  falsely  ? 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 


93 


206.     Was  Adam  created  with  a  beard? 

Scripture  does  not  tell  us,  but  the  tradition  that  he  was 
created  with  one  (which  maybe  described  as  bushy  rather 
than  flowing)  is  recorded  on  ancient  monuments,  and  es- 
pecially on  an  antique  sarcophagus,  which  is  one  of  the 
ornaments  of  the  Vatican.  The  Jews,  with  the  Orientals 
generally,  seem  to  have  accepted  the  tradition  for  a  law. 
Amon-  them  the  beard  was  a  cherished  and  sacred  thing 
The  Scriptures  abound  with  examples  of  how  the  beard 
and  its  treatment  interpreted  the  feeUngs,  the  joy,  the 
pride,  the  sorrow,  or  the  despondency  of  the  wearer. 

207.  Who  was  the  wealthiest  President  ? 
Washincrton,  who  left  an  estate  valued  at  $800,000.    The 

next  in  or'der  of  wealth  was  Van  Buren,  whose  property 
was  valued  at  $400,000. 

208.  Who  were  the  original  "  Jersey  Blues  "  ? 
Thev  were  a  battalion  of  five  hundred  soldiers  from  New 

Jersey!  during  King  George's  War  (1745-1748)  and  were 
BO  called  from  the  color  of  their  uniform, -bine,  faced 
with  red,  gray  stockings,  and  buckskin  breeches.  They 
were  described  at  the  time  as  "the  likeliest  well-set  men 
who  ever  entered  upon  a  campaign.' 

209 .     Who  was  ' '  Tarn  O'Shanter  "  ? 

He  was  the  hero  of  Burns's  poem  of  the  same  name,  a 
farmer,  who,  riding  home  very  late  and  very  drunk  from 
Ayr,  in  a  stormy  night,  had  to  pass  by  the  kirk  of  Allo^ 
way  a  place  reputed  to  be  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  devil 
and  his  friends  and  emissaries.     On  approaching  the  kirk, 


94  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

he  perceived  a  light  gleaming  through  the  windows ;  but 
having  got  courageously  drunk,  he  ventui'ed  on  till  he 
could  look  into  the  edifice,  when  he  saw  a  dance  of  witches 
merrily  fooling  it  round  their  master,  who  was  playing  on 
the  bagpipe  to  them.  The  dance  grew  so  furious  that 
they  all  stripped  themselves  of  their  upper  garments,  and 
kept  at  it  in  their  shifts.  One  "  winsome  wench,"  hap- 
pening unluckily  to  have  a  shift  which  was  considerably 
too  short  to  answer  all  the  purposes  of  that  useful  article 
of  dress,  Tarn  was  so  tickled  that  he  involuntarily  roared 
out,  "  Weel  done,  Cutty-sark!  "  (Well  done,Short-sraock); 
whereupon,  in  an  instant,  all  was  dark,  and  Tam,  recol- 
lecting himself,  turned  and  spurred  his  horse  to  the  top 
of  her  speed,  chased  by  the  whole  fiendish  crew.  It  is  a 
current  belief,  that  witches,  or  any  evil  spirits,  have  no 
power  to  follow  a  poor  wight  any  farther  than  the  middle 
of  the  next  running  stream.  Fortunately  for  Tam,  the 
river  Doon  was  near  ;  for,  notwithstanding  the  speed  of 
his  horse,  by  the  time  he  gained  the  middle  of  the  arch  of 
the  bridge,  and  consequently  the  middle  of  the  stream, 
the  pursuing  vengeful  hags  were  so  close  at  his  heels,  that 
one  of  them,  "  Cutty-sark,"  actually  sprang  to  seize  him  ; 
but  it  was  too  late,  —  nothing  was  on  her  side  of  the 
stream  but  the  horse's  tail,  which  immediately  gave  way 
at  her  infernal  gripe,  as  if  blasted  by  a  stroke  of  light- 
ning ;  but  the  farmer  was  beyond  her  reach. 

210.     Who  was  "  Old  Public  Functionary"? 

This  sobriquet,  which  was  sometimes  humorously  abbre- 
viated O.  P.  F.,  was  sometimes  given  to  James  Buchanan, 
the  fifteenth  President  of  the  United  States.  He  was  the 
first  to  apply  the  expression  to  himself,  in  his  annual 
message  to  Congress  in  1859:  — 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.       95 

"  This  advice  proceeds  from  the  heart  of  an  old  public 
functionary,  whose  service  commenced  in  the  last  genera- 
tion, among  the  wise  and  conservative  statesmen  of  that 
day,  now  nearly  all  passed  away,  and  whose  tirst  and  dear- 
est earthly  wish  is  to  leave  his  country  tranquil,  prosperous, 
united,  and  powerful." 

211.  Who  was  ' '  Light-Horse  Harry  "  ? 

This  sobriquet  was  popularly  conferred  upon  General 
Henry  Lee  (1756-1818),  a  gallant  American  cavalry  officer 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in  allusion  to  his  rapid  and 
daring  movements  in  battle,  particularly  during  the  cam- 
paign in  the  Carolinas. 

212.  Who  was  the  "  French  Game-cock  "? 

On  account  of  his  bravery,  this  name  was  given  by  the 
American  soldiers  to  Marie  Jean  Paul  Roch  Yves  Gilbert 
Motier,  Marquis  de  Lafayette. 

213.  What  was  the  "  Albany  Regency  "  ? 

It  was  a  junto  of  astute  Democratic  politicians,  having 
their  headquarters  at  Alban3\  who  controlled  the  action 
of  the  Democratic  party  for  many  years,  and  who  had 
great  weight  in  national  politics.  The  effort  to  elect  Wil- 
liam  H.   Crawford  President,  instead  of   John    Quincy 


214.     In  what  country  are  prayers  said  by  wheels? 

An  important  part  of  the  duties  of  a  pilgrim  to  Lassn, 
the  centre  of  Lamaism,  is  penance.  Among  the  lightir 
forms  of   penance  is  turning  a  wheel  called  Tchu-Kor, 


96  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

•' revolving  prayer."  This  devotional  machine  is  usually 
a  sort  of  barrel,  moving  upon  an  axis  and  inscribed  all 
over  with  Buddhistic  petitions.  The  worshipper  sets  it 
going,  and  it  turns  prayers  for  his  benefit,  while  he  pur- 
sues some  more  mundane  occupation. 

215.  What  Presidents  were  born  in  Virginia? 

Thus  far  seven  of  our  Presidents  have  been  natives  of 
Virginia,  viz. :  — 

Washington,  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Feb.  22, 
1732;  Jefferson,  born  at  Shadwell,  Albemarle  County, 
April  2, 1743;  Madison,  born  at  King  George,  March  16, 
1751;  Monroe,  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  April  28, 
1758;  Harrison,  born  at  Berkeley,  Charles  City  County, 
Feb.  9, 1773;  Tyler,  born  in  Charles  City  County,  March 
29,  1790;  Taylor,  born  in  Orange  County,  Sept.  24,  1784. 

216.  Which  is  the  only  monarchy  on  the  Western 
Continent? 

The  government  of  Brazil  is  a  mild  form  of  a  constitu- 
tional and  hereditary  monarchy.  The  laws  of  succession 
are  the  same  as  in  England.  The  Emperor  Dom  Pedro 
II.,  of  the  house  of  Bragan9a,  and  the  Empress,  a  sister 
of  the  king  of  ISTaples,  are  universally  beloved  and  re- 
spected for  their  intellectual  arid  moral  endowments,  and 
their  affectionate  interest  in  the  welfare  of  their  sub- 
jects. 

217.  What  becomes  of  all  the  greenbacks  and  bank- 
notes after  they  have  served  their  few  years  of  useful- 
ness? 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.      97 

They  go  to  the  governmeot.  After  about  three  years 
of  service  they  are  pretty  well  worn,  and  are  taken  to  the 
Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing,  and  placed  in  a  ma- 
chine containing  immense  knives,  which  chop  the  notes 
into  fragments.  Three  officers  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment are  stationed  to  watch  the  destruction  of  the  notes. 
No  one  else  is  allowed  to  be  present  except  the  officials 
and  the  men  who  run  the  machine.  They  are  compelled 
to  remain  in  the  room  until  each  separate  note  is  destroyed. 
They  must  account  afterwards  to  the  Kedemption  Bureau 
for  each  note,  and  should  one  become  lost  or  mislaid  and 
afterwards  find  its  way  into  circulation,  the  result  would 
be  the  immediate  discharge  of  the  three  who  daily  have  in 
their  custody  millions  of  dollars  of  notes  and  bonds.  The 
shreds  are  reduced  to  pulp,  and  then  moulded  into  figures 
of  birds  and  animals  and  sold  as  mementos  to  visitors. 
Often  it  will  happen  that  one  little  object  will  be  composed 
of  what  was  once  SI  ,000,000  worth  of  money. 

218.  What  sort  of  mound  has  been  raised  to  the 
memory  of  Kosciusko? 

Near  Cracow  there  is  a  mound  of  earth  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high,  which  was  raised  to  the  memory  of  the 
Polish  patriot,  Thaddeus  Kosciusko,  by  the  people,  earth 
being  brought  for  this  purpose  from  every  great  battle- 
field of  Europe  on  which  Polish  blood  had  been  shed. 
Prom  a  fanciful  resemblance  in  shape  to  this  tumulus,  the 
loftiest  known  mountain  in  Australia  has  received  the 
name  of  Mount  Kosciusko. 

219.  In  what  country  are  the  forests  without  shade? 

7 


98  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

With  few  exceptions,  the  Australian  trees  are  ever- 
gx'eens,  and  they  show  a  peculiar  reverted  position  of  their 
leaves,  which  hang  vertically,  turning  their  edges  instead 
of  their  sides  toward  the  sun,  and  giving  no  shade. 
There  are  great  shadeless  forests  of  eucalypti  and  other 
trees. 


220.     Which  are  the  tallest  trees  in  the  world  ? 

The  loftiest  product  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  the 
eucalypti-trees,  indigenous  to  Australia  and  Tasmania. 
They  are  sometimes  called  "  gum-trees,"  because  they 
abound  in  resinous  exudations.  The  Eucalyptus  gigantea, 
called  "  Stringy  bark,"  sometimes  attains  a  height  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and  a  diameter  of  over  eighty 
feet ;  over  one  hundred  feet  higher  than  the  highest  speci- 
men of  the  mammoth  trees  of  California  {Sequoia  gi- 
gantea), now  standing.  These  trees  form  a  characteristic 
feature  of  the  peculiar  vegetation  of  those  islands,  having 
entire  leathery  leaves,  of  which  one  edge  is  directed  to- 
ward the  sky,  so  that  both  surfaces  are  equally  exposed  to 
the  light.  They  also  have  the  peculiarity  of  shedding 
their  bark  annually  instead  of  their  leaves. 


221.  Who  was  the  most  famous  heroine  of  an- 
tiquity ? 

Zenobia,  the  queen  of  Palmyra.  Her  second  husband, 
Septimius  Odenathus,  prince  of  Palmyra,  was  assassinated 
in  A.  D.  26G,  by  his  nephew  Mteonius.  Zenobia  put  the 
assassin  to  death,  and  assumed  the  vacant  Palmj-rene 
throne.    For  five  years  she  governed  Palmyra,  Syria,  and 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  99 

adjoining  parts  of  the  East  witli  vigor  and  judgment, 
independent  of  the  Roman  power.  She  assumed  the  title 
of  "  Queen  of  the  East,"  and  exacted  from  her  subjects 
the  same  adoration  that  was  paid  to  Persian  monarchs. 
She  maintained  her  power  through  the  reigns  of  Gallienus 
and  Claudius,  but  was  finally  defeated  and  captured  by 
Aurelian,  273  A.  D.  Decked  with  splendid  jewels,  and 
almost  fainting  under  the  weight  of  gold  chains,  she 
adorned  the  triumph  of  the  emperor,  but  was  presented 
by  him  with  large  possessions  near  Tivoli,  where  she 
passed  the  rest  of  her  life  in  comfort  and  even  splendor. 
Her  daughters  married  into  noble  Roman  families,  and  her 
descendants  were  still  living  in  the  fifth  century.  She 
vras  exceedingly  beautiful,  dark  in  complexion,  with  large 
black,  fiery  eyes.  She  spoke  Latin,  Greek,  Syriac,  and 
Egyptian,  and  wrote  for  her  own  use  an  epitome  of 
Oriental  history.  She  was  a  passionate  hunter,  and  thor- 
oughly inured  to  fatigue,  sometimes  walking  on  foot  at 
the  head  of  her  troops. 

222.     What  is  dynamite? 

This  explosive,  of  which  we  hear  so  much,  looks  very 
much  like  moist  brown  sugar.  It  is  made  of  nitro-glyce- 
rine,  a  heavy,  oily  liquid  which  explodes  with  great  vio- 
lence, mixed  with  an  absorbent  to  make  it  safer  to  handle. 
Nitro-glycerine  is  composed  of  nitric  acid,  sulphuric  acid, 
and  that  clear,  sweet,  soothing  liquid  called  glycerine. 
The  absorbent  material  is  a  fine,  white  powder,  composed 
of  the  remains  of  infusoria.  This  takes  up  two  or  three 
times  its  weight  of  the  nitro-glycerine  without  becoming 
pasty;  the  ingredients  are  mixed  in  leaden  vessels  with 
wooden  spoons  to  avoid  friction.    If  fire  is  applied  to  this 


100     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

mass,  it  burns  with  a  strong  flame  without  any  explosion; 
but  the  application  of  a  full  sudden  blow  causes  it  to 
explode  with  tremendous  force. 

223.     Who  was  the  "Great  American  Commoner"? 

Thaddeus  Stevens  (1793-1868),  of  Pennsylvania,-  an 
American  statesman,  was  so  called  on  account  of  his 
opposition  to  slavery  and  secession.  He  was  elected 
representative  in  Congress  in  1848  and  re-elected  in  1850. 
He  strongly  opposed  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill.  He  was  again  elected  to  Congress 
in  1858,  and  held  his  seat  till  his  death. 

V     224.     What  was  the  proper  name  of  Columbus  ? 

His  Genoese  name  was  Christoforo  Colombo,  which, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  time,  he  Latinized  into 
Columbus.  When  he  went  into  Spain  he  adopted  the 
Spanish  form  of  it,  Christobal  Colon. 

225.  Who  were  the  parents  of  Columbus? 

Columbus  was  the  eldest  son  of  Domenico  Colombo,  a 
wool  comber  of  Genoa,  and  Susanna  Fontanarossa.  They 
had  two  other  sons,  Bartolommeo  (Bartholomew)  and 
Giacomo  (James,  called  in  Spain  Diego),  and  a  daughter 
who  married  a  butcher. 

226.  Who  was  the  wife  of  Columbus? 

In  the  convent  of  All  Saints,  Lisbon,  where  Columbus 
was  accustomed  to  attend  religious  service,  were  certain 
ladies  of  rank,  either  resident  as  boarders,  or  in  some 
religious  capacity.      With  one    of  these,   Dona  Felipa 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  101 

Monis  de  Perestrello,  Columbus  became  acquainted.  Her 
father,  Bartolommeo  Monis  de  Perestrello,  an  Italian 
cavalier,  lately  deceased,  had  been  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished navigators  under  Prince  Henry,  and  had 
colonized  and  governed  the  island  of  Porto  Santo. 
Columbus  soon  fell  in  love  with  the  lady,  and  married 
her.  By  her  he  had  one  son,  Diego,  born  about  1472.  A 
few  years  afterward  his  wife  died. 

227.  How  many  children  had  Columbus? 

He  had  two  sons.  The  eldest,  Diego,  was  by  his  wife. 
His  second  son,  Fernando,  born  in  1487,  was  the  illegiti- 
mate child  of  Doiia  Beatriz  Enriquez,  a  noble  lady  of 
Cordova,  to  whom  Columbus  became  attached,  while 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  appear  at  court.  This  son 
became  the  historian  of  his  father. 

228.  When  did  the  line  of  Columbus  become 
extinct  ? 

Diego  married  Dona  Maria  de  Toledo,  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Alva.  Their  eldest  son,  Luis,  exchanged  the 
hereditary  dignity  of  admiral  for  a  pension  and  the  title 
of  Duke  of  Veragua,  Marquis  of  Jamaica.  Luis's  eldest 
daughter  married  her  cousin  Diego,  and  died  without 
issue,  the  male  line  thus  becoming  extinct.  Finally  the 
property  and  titles  became,  in  1608,  merged  by  marriage 
through  the  female  line  in  a  branch  of  the  house  of 
Bragan9a. 

229.  What  were  the  last  words  of  Columbus? 

He  died  while  repeating  the  following  words  in  Latin: 
"  Lord,  into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit." 


102  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

230.  Where  do  the  remains  of  Columbus  now 
repose  ? 

The  body  of  Columbus  was  deposited  in  the  convent  of 
San  rraocisco,  Valladolid,  Spain.  It  was  thence  trans- 
ported, 1513,  to  the  Carthusian  Monastery  of  Seville, 
where  a  handsome  monument  was  erected  by  command 
of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  with  the  simple  inscription, 
"To  Castile  and  Leon,  Colon  gave  a  new  world."  In 
1536,  his  body  and  that  of  his  son  Diego  were  removed  to 
the  city  of  St.  Domingo,  Hayti,  and  interred  in  the  prin- 
cipal chapel.  But,  in  1796,  the  remains,  as  was  supposed, 
were  taken  to  Havana  Avith  imposing  ceremonies.  The 
tomb  in  the  cathedral  is  marked  by  a  slab  elaborately 
carved,  on  which  is  inscribed,  — 

"Restose  Imagen  del  grande  Colon! 
Mit  siglos  durad  guardades  en  la  Urnia 
Ventare  nen  branza  de  naestra  Nacion," 

which  is  Spanish  for, 

"  Oh,  rest  thou,  image  of  the  great  Colon, 
Thousand  centuries  remain,  guarded  in  the  urn, 
And  in  the  remembrance  of  our  nation." 

In  1877,  however,  while  excavating  near  the  cathedral  in 
St.  Domingo,  the  vault  was  opened  and  a  leaden  coffin 
found  containing  human  bones,  and  inscribed  in  Spanish, 
"  Illustrious  and  renowned  man,  Christopher  Columbus." 
It  is  therefore  thought  that  the  body  carried  to  Havana 
was  not  that  of  the  erreat  admiral. 


231.     What  was  the  last  writing  of  Columbus? 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  KEADY  REPLIES.      103 

It  is  contained  in  a  final  codicil  to  the  will  of  1498, 
made  at  Yalladolid  on  the  19th  of  May,  1506,  By  this 
the  old  will  is  confirmed,  the  mayorazgo  is  bequeathed  to 
his  son  Diego  and  his  male  heirs,  failing  these  to  Fer- 
nando, his  second  son,  and  failing  these  to  the  male  heiis 
of  his  brother  Bartholomew:  only  in  case  of  the  extinc- 
tion of  the  male  line,  direct  or  collateral,  is  it  to  descend 
to  the  females  of  the  family;  and  those  into  whose  hands 
it  may  fall  are  never  to  diminish  it,  but  always  to  increase 
and  ennoble  it  by  all  means  possible.  The  head  of  the 
family  is  to  sign  himself  "The  Admiral."  A  tenth  of  the 
annual  income  is  to  be  set  aside  yearly  for  distribution 
among  the  poor  relations  of  the  house.  A  chapel  is 
founded  and  endowed  for  the  saying  of  masses.  Bcalriz 
Enriquez  is  left  to  the  care  of  the  young  admiral  in  most 
gi-aceful  terms.  Among  other  legacies  is  one  of  "half  a 
mark  of  silver  to  a  Jew  who  used  to  live  at  the  gate  of 
Jewry,  in  Lisbon."  The  codicil  was  written  and  signed 
with  the  admiral's  own  hand.  Next  day  (May  20, 1506) 
he  died. 

232.  Which  is  the  "Sucker  State"?  Why  so 
named  ? 

This  is  a  cant  name  given  to  the  State  of  Illinois,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  are  very  generally  called  siickei'S 
throughout  the  West.  The  origin  of  this  term  is  said  to 
be  as  follows:  The  Western  prairies  are,  in  many  places, 
full  of  the  holes  made  by  the  "crawfish"  (a  fresh-water 
shell-tish,  similar  in  form  to  the  lobster),  which  descends 
to  the  water  beneath.  In  early  times,  when  travellers 
wended  their  way  over  these  immense  plains,  they  very 
prudently  provided  themselves  with  a  long,  hollow  reed, 


104  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

and,  when  thirsty,  thrust  it  into  these  natural  artesians, 
and  thus  easily  supplied  their  longings.  The  crawfish 
well  generally  contains  pure  water,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  traveller  drew  forth  the  refreshing  element 
gave  him  the  name  of  "  sucker."    - 

233 .  What  was  the  ' '  Bug  "  Bible  ? 

What  is  known  as  the  "Bug"  Bible  was  printed  in 
1551,  and  contained  a  prologue  by  Tyndall.  Its  name  is 
derived  from  the  peculiar  rendering  of  the  fifth  verse  of 
the  ninety-first  Psalm,  which  is  made  to  read,  "  So  that 
thou  shalt  not  need  to  be  afraid  for  any  bugs  by  night." 

234.  How  is  celluloid  made  ? 

A  roll  of  paper  is  slowly  unwound,  and  at  the  same 
time  saturated  with  a  mixture  of  five  parts  of  sulphuric 
acid  and  two  of  nitric,  which  falls  upon  the  paper  in  a 
fine  spray.  This  changes  the  cellulose  of  the  paper  into 
fine  pyroxyline  (gun  cotton).  The  excess  of  acid  having 
been  expelled  by  pressure,  the  paper  is  washed  with 
plenty  of  water  until  all  traces  of  acid  have  been  removed; 
it  is  then  reduced  to  pulp,  and  passes  on  to  the  bleaching 
trough.  Most  of  the  water  having  been  got  rid  of  by 
means  of  a  strainer,  the  pulp  is  mixed  with  from  twenty 
to  forty  per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  camphor,  and  the  mix- 
ture thoroughly  triturated  under  millstones.  The  neces- 
sary coloring  matter  having  been  added  in  the  form  of 
powder,  a  second  mixture  and  grinding  follow.  The 
finely  divided  pulp  is  then  spread  out  in  thin  layers  on 
slabs,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  of  these  layers  are 
placed  in  a  hydraulic  press,  separated  from  one  another 
by  sheets  of  thick  blotting  paper,  and  are  subjected  to  a 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  105 

pressure  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  atmospheres  until  all 
traces  of  moisture  have  been  got  rid  of.  The  plates  thus 
obtained  are  broken  up  and  soaked  for  twenty-four  hours 
in  alcohol.  The  matter  is  then  passed  between  rollers 
heated  to  between  one  hundred  and  forty  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  whence  it  issues  in  the  form 
of  elastic  sheets.  Celluloid  is  made  to  imitate  amber, 
tortoise-shell,  coral,  malachite,  ebony,  ivory,  etc.,  and 
besides  its  employment  in  dentistry,  is  used  to  make 
mouth-pieces  for  pipes  and  cigar-holders,  handles  for 
table-knives  and  umbrellas,  combs,  shirt-fronts  and  col- 
lars, and  a  number  of  fancy  articles. 

235.  When  is  ' '  Ground  Hog  Day  "  ? 

Candlemas  day  (Feb.  2).  In  Germany's  folklore  there 
is  a  superstition  that  the  badger,  on  that  day,  peeps  out 
of  his  hole,  and  when  he  finds  snow,  walks  abroad;  but 
if  he  sees  the  sun  shiuing,  draws  back  into  his  hole. 
This  latter  action,  so  the  legend  goes,  signifies  that  the 
winter  weather  is  not  over,  the  sun's  rays  being  too  pre- 
maturely warm  for  the  season.  Doubtless  the  supersti- 
tion concerning  the  ground  hog  in  this  country  is  derived 
from  the  above  source. 

236.  "Where  are  our  Presidents  buried? 

Washington  was  buried  at  Mount  Vernon,  Va. ;  John 
Adams,  at  Quincy,  Mass.;  Jefferson,  at  Monticello,  Va. ; 
Madison,  at  Montpelier,  Va.;  Monroe,  at  Eichmond,  Va. ; 
John  Quincy  Adams,  at  Quincy,  Mass.;  Jackson,  at  the 
Hermitage,  near  IN'ashville,  Tenn.;  Van  Buren,  at  Kin- 
derhook,  X.  Y. ;  Harrison,  at  North  Bend,  Ind.;  Tyler, 
dX  Richmond,  Va. ;  Polk,  at  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  Taylor,  at 


106     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

Washington,  D.  C;  Fillmore,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  Pierce, 
at  Concord,  N.  H.;  Buchanan,  at  Lancaster,  Pa.;  Lincoln, 
at  Springfield,  111.;  Johnson,  at  Greenville,  Teun.;  Gar- 
field, at  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Grant,  at  Riverside  Park, 
Kew  York  City ;  Arthur,  at  Albany,  K.  Y. 

237.  Which  is  the  "  Modern  Athens  "  ? 

This  name  is  often  given  to  Edinburgh,  on  account  of 
its  many  noble  literary  institutions,  the  taste  and  culture 
of  the  people,  the  many  distinguished  men  who  have 
issued  from  it  or  resided  in  it,  and  the  high  character  of 
its  publications;  and  also  on  account  of  a  marked  resem- 
blance to  Athens  in  its  topographical  position  and  it^  gen- 
eral appearance. 

The  same  epithet  is  applied  to  Boston,  Mass.,  a  city 
remarkable  for  the  high  intellectual  character  of  its  citi- 
zens, and  for  its  many  excellent  literai'y,  scientific,  and 
educational  institutions  and  publications. 

238.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  term  "Old 
Harry  "  ? 

It  has  been  suggested  that  this  vulgar  appellation  for 
the  devil  comes  from  the  Scandinavian  Hari  or  Heira, 
names  of  Odin,  who  came  in  time  to  be  degraded  from  his 
rank  of  a  god  to  that  of  a  fiend  or  evil  spirit. 

According  to  Henley,  the  hirsute  honors  of  the  Satan 
of  the  ancient  religious  stage  procured  him  the  name  Old 
Hairy,  corrupted  into  Old  Harry. 

239.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  terms  "Whig" 
and  "Tory"? 


QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  107 

These  designations  of  political  parlies  in  English,  and 
more  lately  in  American  history,  were  originally  applied 
as  terms  of  reproach.  There  are  three  accounts  for  the 
origin  of  the  term  Whig. 

1.  That  it  is  derived  from  whig,  whey,  which  the  Scot- 
tish Covenanters  used  to  drink,  and  hence  a  name  applied 
to  them. 

2.  That  it  is  a  contraction  of  whigyam,  a  term  used 
in  Scotland  in  driving  horses,  or  from  roMggamovey  a 
driver  of  horses.  In  1648  a  party  of  these  people  marched 
to  Edinburgh  to  oppose  the  king  and  the  Duke  of  Ham- 
ilton. "This,"  says  Burnet,  "was  called  the  Whigga- 
more's  inroad;  and  ever  after  all  that  opposed  the  court 
came  in  contempt  to  be  called  tvhiggs;  and  from  Scotland 
the  word  was  brought  into  England." 

3.  That  it  is  formed  fiom  the  initials  of  the  motto, 
"TFe  /loi^e  in  God,'''  the  motto  of  the  club  from  which  the 
Whig  party  took  its  rise. 

The  terra  Tory  is  derived  from  an  Irish  term  applied, 
says  Roger  N^orth,  to  "  the  most  despicable  savages  among 
the  wild  Irish  ";  and  the  name  was  first  given  to  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Duke  of  York,  in  1679,  because  he  favored 
Irishmen. 

Another  account  of  its  origin  is  that  it  is  derived  from 
toree,  give  me  (sc.  your  money),  a  term  used  by  the  Irish 
robbers. 

240.     Who  invented  decimal  fractions? 

The  inventor  of  decimal  fractions  was  Simon  Stevin,  of 
Bruges,  whose  tract,  published  in  1.585,  was  entitled  the 
"Disme."  But  the  simple  plan  we  now  have  was  not 
then  invented.     He  used  circles  to  designate  the  numbers 


l08  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

that  showed  the  value  of  the  figures;  thus,  lie  wrote 
27.847  as  27  (0)  8  (1)  4  (2)  7  (3),  and  read  it  as  27  cora- 
menceraents,  8  primes,  4  seconds,  7  thirds.  The  (0) 
showed  the  zero  point,  the  (1)  showed  tenths,  and  so  on. 
These  terms  "  primes,"  "  seconds,"  "  thirds,"  etc.,  have 
disappeared.  "Primes "  were  the  first  to  the  right  of  the 
whole  numbers,  "  seconds"  the  second  place,  etc. 

Dispute  has  arisen  concerning  the  origin  of  the  simpler 
notation  by  means  of  the  decimal  point,  whether  used 
before  the  fraction  alone,  or  as  separating  it  from  the 
integer.  Napier  claimed  the  discovery,  so  also  has 
De  Morgan.  But  Mr.  Glaisher,  in  a  paper  read  before 
the  mathematical  section  of  the  British  Association, 
seems  to  establish  Napier's  priority  in  introducing  the 
decimal  point  into  arithmetic.  The  full  modern  use  of  it 
was  first  exemplified  in  a  posthumous  work  of  Napier's 
called  "  Miritici  Logarithmorum  Canon's  Constructio," 
edited  by  his  son,  in  1619,  where  the  formal  definition  of 
the  decimal  separator  is  given  and  illustrated,  and  the 
point  subsequently  used  in  operation  as  we  now  use  it. 
Briggs,  who  died  in  1631,  constantly  used  an  underscored 
line  to  distinguish  the  decimal  part  of  a  number;  and 
Oughtred,  one  of  his  followers,  improved  on  this  by 
using,  together  with  the  line,  a  vertical  bar  to  mark  the 
separation  still  more  plainly. 

241.     "What  is  the  orisjin  of  "humbuor"? 

The  origin  of  this  Avord  is  not  certainly  known.  Web- 
ster says  it  is  probably  derived  from  7iwm,  to  impose  on, 
to  deceive,  and  hug,  a  frightful  object,  a  bugbear. 

Another  account  states  that  it  is  derived  from  Ham- 
burg, a  city  of  Germany:  "A  piece  of  Hamburg  news" 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  109 

being  in  Germany  a  proverbial  expression  for  false  politi- 
cal rumoi's. 

A  third  account  gives  its  origin  as  follows:  "There 
once  lived  in  Scotland  a  gentleman  of  landed  property 
whose  narne  was  Hume  or  Home,  and  his  estate  was 
called  the  Bogue.  From  the  great  falsehoods  which  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  telling  about  himself,  his  family,  and 
everything  connected  with  them,  it  became  the  custom  to 
say  when  anything  improbable  was  stated,  'Oh,  that's  a 
Hume  o'  the  Bogue!'  The  expression  spread  through- 
out the  neighborhood,  and  even  beyond,  and  by  degrees 
was  shortened  into  humbug  by  those  who  did  not  under- 
stand how  the  phrase  first  came  to  be  used. 

A  fourth  account,  that  of  Mr.  F.  Crosley,  suggests  the 
Irish  uim  hog  (pronounced  umhug),  meaning  ''  soft  cop- 
per "  or  "  worthless  money."  James  II.  issued  from  the 
Dublin  Mint  a  mixture  of  lead,  copper,  and  brass,  so 
worthless  that  a  sovereign  was  intrinsically  Avorth  only 
twopence,  and  might  have  been  bought  after  the  revolu- 
tion for  a  half-penny.  Sterling  and  umhug  wore  tliere 
fore  expressive  of  real  and  fictitious  worth,  merit  and 
humbug. 

242.  What  is  the  history  of  the  poem  "  Sheridan's 
Ride"? 

This  famous  poem  by  T.  B.  Read,  beginning,  "  Up 
from  the  south  at  break  of  day,"  has  quite  a  history. 
The  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  took  place  before  dawn  on 
the  morning  of  Oct.  19, 1863.  The  Confederate  forces, 
under  Gen.  Early,  wei'e  gaining  the  upper  hand,  when  a 
report  of  tl^e  battle  reached  Gen.  Sheridan,  who  was  at 


110     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

Winchester,  twenty  miles  distant.  Putting  spurs  to  his 
horse,  he  hastened  to  the  scene  of  battle,  and  by  his 
encouragement,  turned  a  threatened  defeat  into  a  glorious 
victory.  The  news  of  the  victor}',  and  the  cause  of  it, 
reached  Chicago  at  nine  o'clock.  Mr.  Read,  the  poet, 
was  sta3-ing  there  at  a  hotel,  and  Mr.  Murdock,  a  noted 
reader,  was  with  him  at  the  time.  Slapping  his  friend  on 
the  shoulder,  Murdock  exclaimed:  "  Eead,  you  must  write 
a  poem  on  that  subject  to-day!  By  to-morrow  others, 
with  less  ability,  will  be  ahead  of  you."' 

Mr.  Read  demurred,  but,  after  half  an  hour's  talk, 
yielded  to  his  friend's  wishes.  He  retired  to  his  room, 
locked  the  door,  and  in  four  hours  produced  one  of  our 
grandest  national  poems. 

His  wife  and  Mr.  Murdock  praised  it  enthusiastically. 
The  latter  especially  appreciated  the  beauty  and  spirit  of 
the  lines,  for  being  a  jjersonal  friend  of  Gen.  Sheridan,  he 
had  ridden  upon  the  gallant  black  steed 

"  That  saved  the  day 

By  carrying  Sheridan  into  the  fight 
From  Winchester  —  twenty  miles  away." 

Mr.  Murdock  committed  the  lines  to  memory,  and  that 
evening,  at  a  meeting  of  rejoicing  over  the  victor}',  he 
recited  them.  An  intense  silence  prevailed  throughout 
the  hall,  broken  only  by  the  tones  of  the  speaker.  As 
the  last  words  of  the  grand  poem  left  his  lips,  storms  of 
applause  shook  the  building.  Coming  so  soon  after  the 
victory,  while  the  people  were  still  flushed  with  their  suc- 
cess, it  wrought  the  audience  up  to  an  excitement  which 
c«uld  not  be  controlled.  Every  one  supposed  that  Mr. 
Murdock  had  composed  the  poem,  and  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  expressions  of  congratulation  and  praise. 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.      Ill 

But  he,  directins;  the  attention  of  the  crowd  to  the  hox 
where  the  poet  sat,  exclamied,  "  There  is  the  man  who 
wrote  the  poem!  " 

243.  Which  is  the  longest  word  in  the  English  lan- 
guage ? 

Dispropoi'tionableness  is  the  longest  classified  word  in 
our  language. 

244.  "What  gems  are  the  epablems  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  ? 

Andrew,  the  bright  blue  sapphire,  emblematic  of  his 
heavenly  faith. 

Bartholomew,  the  red  camelian,  emblematic  of  his 
martyrdom. 

James,  the  white  chalcedony,  emblematic  of  his  purity. 

James  the  Less,  the  topaz,  emblematic  of  delicacy. 

John,  the  emerald,  emblematic  of  his  youth  and  gen- 
tleness. 

Matthew,  the  amethyst,  emblematic  of  sobriety. 
Matthew  was  once  a  "  publican,"  but  was  "  sobered  "  by 
the  leaven  of  Christianity. 

Matthias,  the  chrysolite,  pure  as  sunshine. 

Peter,  the  jasper,  hard  and  solid  as  the  rock  of  the 
church. 

Philip,  the  friendly  sardonyx. 

Simeon  of  Cana,  the  pink  hyacinth,  emblematic  of  a 
sweet  temper. 

Tiiaddeus,  the  chrysoprase,  emblematic  of  security 
and  trustfulness. 

Thomas,  the  heryl,  indefinite  in  lustre,  emblematic  of 
his  doubting  faith. 


112     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

245.     What  is  the  origin  of  "bogus"? 

According  to  the  Boston  Daily  Courier  of  June  12, 
1857,  this  word  originated  as  follows:  "  The  word  '  bogus,' 
we  believe,  is  a  corruption  of  the  name  of  one  Borghese, 
a  very  corrupt  individual,  who,  twenty  years  ago  or 
more,  did  a  tremendous  business  in  the  way  of  supplying 
the  great  West,  and  portions  of  the  Southwest,  with  a 
vast  amount  of  counterfeit  bills,  and  bills  on  fictitious 
banks,  which  never  had  anj^  existence  out  of  the  'foi-- 
getive  brain'  of  him,  the  said  '  Borghese.'  The  Western 
people,  who  are  leather  rapid  in  their  talk,  when  excited, 
soon  fell  into  the  habit  of  shortening  the  Norman  name 
of  Borghese  to  the  more  handy  one  of  Bogus;  and  hia 
bills,  and  all  other  bills  of  like  character,  were  univer- 
sally styled  '  bogus  currency.'  " 


246.     Why  is  buckwheat  so  called? 

The  word  "  buckwheat"  is  a  corruption  of  beechwheat. 
It  is  so  called  from  the  similarity  of  the  shape  of  its  grains 
to  the  mast  or  nuts  of  the  beech-tree. 


247.     Who  originated  tarring  and  feathering? 

Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  seems  to  have  originated  tarring 
and  feathering.  Hoveden,  quoted  by  Dr.  Hook  in  his 
"Lives  of  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury,"  says  that 
Richard,  when  he  sailed  for  the  Holy  Land,  made  sundry 
laws  for  the  regulation  of  his  fleet,  one  of  which  enacted 
that  "  a  robber  who  shall  be  convicted  of  theft  shall  have 
his  head  cropped  after  the  manner  of  a  champion,  and 
boiling  pitch  shall  be  poured  thereon,  and  then  the  feath- 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     113 

ers  of  a  cushion  shall  be  shaken  out  upon  him,  so  that  he 
may  be  known,  and  at  the  first  land  at  which  the  ship 
shall  touch  he  shall  be  set  on  shore." 

248.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  "By 
Jingo"? 

Jingo  is  a  corruption  of  Jainko,  the  name  of  the  Basque 
Supreme  Being.  "  By  Jingo! ''  or  "  By  the  living  Jingo!  " 
is  an  appeal  to  deity.  Edward  I.  had  Basque  mountain- 
eers conveyed  to  England  to  take  part  in  his  Welsh  wars, 
and  the  Plantagenets  held  the  Basque  provinces  in  posses- 
sion.    This  Basque  oath  is  a  landmark  of  these  facts. 

249.  Who  is  "  Old  Nick  "  ? 

This  vulgar  and  ancient  name  for  the  devil  is  derived 
from  that  of  the  Neck,  or  Nikke,  a  river  or  ocean  god  of 
the  Scandinavian  popular  mythology.  "  The  British 
sailor,"  says  Scott,  "  who  fears  nothing  else,  confesses 
his  terrors  for  this  terrible  being,  and  believes  him  the 
author  of  almost  all  the  various  calamities  to  which  the 
precarious  life  of  a  seaman  is  so  continually  exposed." 
Butler,  the  author  of  "  Hudibras,"  erroneously  derives 
the  term  from  the  name  of  Nicolo  Macchiavelli. 

^  250.     Who  was  "  Rare  Ben  "  ? 

This  famous  appellation  was  conferred  upon  Ben  Jonson 
(1574-1637),  the  dramatic  poet.  It  is  said  that  soon  after 
his  death,  a  subscription  was  commenced  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  a  monument  to  his  memory;  but  the  undertak- 
ing having  advanced  slowly,  an  eccentric  Oxfordshire 
8 


114  QTJBER   QUESTIONS    AND    READT    REPLIES. 

squire  took  the  opportunity,  on  passing  one  day  through 
Westminster  Abbey,  to  secure  at  least  an  epitaph  for  the 
poet  by  giving  a  mason  eighteen  pence  to  cut,  on  the  stone 
which  covered  the  grave,  the  words,  "O,  rare  Ben 
Johnson." 

251.  What  was  the  origin  of  Thanksgiving  Day? 

In  1621,  the  year  after  Plymouth  Colony  was  founded, 
Gov.  Bradford  set  apart  a  day  for  thanksgiving  for  the 
yield  of  the  harvests.  Two  years  after  that,  there  was  a 
great  drought,  and  the  people  were  devoting  a  day  to  fast- 
ing and  prayer,  when  their  sorrows  were  turned  into 
praise  and  thanksgiving  by  a  generous  fall  of  rain. 
Prom  that  time  it  gradually  became  an  established  custom 
to  have  a  day  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  after  harvests. 
When  the  Colonies  became  the  New  England  States,  the 
custom  was  kept  up,  the  day  being  proclaimed  by  the  gov- 
ernors of  the  several  States.  A  day  of  prayer  was  recom- 
mended by  Congress  during  the  Ke volution,  and  by 
Washington  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution.  This 
was  continued  by  some  of  the  later  Presidents.  In  1863, 
Linco'n  proclaimed  that  a  National  Thanksgiving  Day 
should  be  observed  in  remembrance  of  the  recent  victo- 
ries and  the  general  manifestation  of  God's  goodness  and 
mercy.  This  has  been  annually  issued  since,  and  now 
custom  has  fixed  it  as  the  fourth  Thursday  in  November. 

252.  Whose  wife  was  Adam ? 

Adam's.  "Male  and  female  created  He  them;  and 
l)lessed  them,  and  called  their  name  Adam,  in  the  day 
when  they  were  created."     Genesis  v.  2. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  115 

253.     Whose  daughter  was  Noah? 

Zelopliehad's.  "  Then  came  the  daughters  of  Zelophe- 
had,  the  son  of  Hepher,  the  son  of  Gilead,  the  son  of 
Machh-,  the  son  of  Manasseh,  of  the  famiUes  of  Manasseh 
the  son  of  Joseph :  and  these  are  the  names  of  his  daugh- 
ters: Mahlah,  Noah,  and  Hoglah,  and  Milcah  and  Tirzah." 
Numbers  xxvii.  1. 


254.  Who  are  the  ' '  Hairy  Men  "  ? 

The  Ainos,  who  are  supposed  to  be  the  aborigines  of 
Japan.  They  are  distinguished  by  an  exuberance  of  hair 
on  the  head  and  body,  a  circumstance  which  has  given  rise 
to  their  name  of  "  Hairy  Kuriles."  They  are  different  in 
race  and  character  from  the  ordinary  Japanese.  Legend 
says  that  the  Japanese  were  originally  Ainos,  but  became 
a  separate  race  by  intermarriage  with  the  Chinese.  They 
are  now  found  chiefly  in  the  island  of  Yesso. 

255.  Where  was  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
written  ? 

Jefferson  wrote  the  Declaration  of  Independence  in 
the  second  story,  front  room,  of  house  No.  230  High  Street, 
now  700  Market  Street,  Philadelphia. 

256.  What  is  the  Golden  Number  of  a  year,  and 
how  determined  ? 

The  Golden  Number  for  any  year  is  the  number  of  that 
year  in  the  Metonic  cycle,  and  as  this  cycle  embraces 
nineteen  years,  the  golden  number  ranges  from  one  to 


.16  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

nineteen.  The  cycle  of  Meton  came  into  general  use 
soon  after  its  discovery,  and  the  number  of  each  year  in 
the  Metonic  cycle  was  ordered  to  be  engraved  in  letters  of 
gold  on  pillars  of  marble  —  hence  the  origin  of  the  name. 
Since  the  introduction  of  the  Gregorian  calendar,  the 
point  from  which  the  golden  numbers  are  numbered  is 
IB.  C,  as  in  that  year  the  now  moon  fell  on  the  1st  of 
January;  and  as  by  Meton's  law,  it  falls  on  the  same  day 
(Jan.  1)  every  nineteenth  year  from  that  time,  we  obtain 
the  following  rule  for  obtaining  the  golden  number  of  any 
particular  year:  "Add  one  to  the  number  of  years  and 
divide  by  nineteen;  the  quotient  gives  the  number  of 
cycles,  and  the  remainder  gives  the  golden  number  for 
that  year;  and  if  there  be  no  remainder,  then  nineteen  is 
the  golden  number,  and  that  year  is  the  last  of  the  cycle." 
The  golden  number  is  used  for  determining  the  Epact 
and  the  time  of  holding  Easter. 

257.  What  were  the  causes  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution ? 

The  most  general  cause  of  the  American  Revolution 
was  the  right  of  arbitrary  goveriwient,  claimed  by  Great 
Britain  and  denied  by  the  Colonies.  There  were  subor- 
dinate causes.  First  of  these  was  the  influence  of  France, 
which  was  constantly  exerted  so  as  to  incite  a  spirit  of 
resist:mce  in  the  Colonies.  Another  cause  was  found  in 
the  natural  disposition  and  inherited  character  of  the  colo- 
nists. The  groioth  of  puhlic  opinion  in  the  Colonies  tended 
to  independence.  Another  cause'  was  found  in  the  xjer- 
sonal  character  of  the  king.  The  more  immediate  cause 
was  the  passage  by  Parliament  of  a  number  of  acts  destruc- 
tive of  colonial  liberty. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   KEADY  REPLIES.  117 

258.  How  was  the  first  colonial  Congress  constituted  ? 

At  Boston,  James  Otis  successfully  agitated  the  question 
of  an  American  Congress.  It  was  proposed  that  each 
Colony,  acting  without  leave  of  the  king,  should  appoint 
delegates,  who  should  meet  in  the  following  autumn  and 
discuss  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  The  proposition  was 
favorably  received,  nine  of  the  Colonies  appointed  dele- 
gates, and  on  the  7th  of  October,  1765,  the  first  Colonial 
Congress  assembled  at  New  York.  There  were  twenty- 
eight  representatives.  Timothy  Ruggles,  of  Massachu- 
setts, was  chosen  president.  After  much  discussion,  a 
Declaration  of  Rights  Avas  adopted,  setting  forth  in  unmis- 
takable terms  that  the  American  colonists,  as  Englishmen, 
could  not  and  would  not  consent  to  be  taxed  but  by  their 
own  representatives.  Memorials  were  also  prepared  and 
addressed  to  the  two  Houses  of  Parliament.  A  manly  pe- 
tition, professing  loyalty  and  praying  for  a  more  just  and 
humane  policy  toward  his  American  subjects,  was  directed 
to  the  king. 

259,  What  were  the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  1783  ? 

The  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  1783  were  briefly  these:  A 
full  and  complete  recognition  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States;  the  recession  by  Great  Britain  of  Florida 
to  Spain ;  the  surrender  of  all  the  remaining  territory  east 
of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  the  Great  Lakes  to  the 
United  States;  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Lakes  by  American  vessels;  the  concession  of  mutual 
rights  in  the  Newfoundland  fisheries;  and  the  retention 
by  Great  Britain  of  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  with  the  ex- 
clusive control  of  the  St,  Lawrence  River, 


118  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

260.  What  were  the  leading  defects  of  the  Confed- 
eration ? 

1.  There  was  an  utter  want  of  all  coercive  authority  in 
the  Continental  Congress  to  carry  into  effect  any  of  their 
constitutional  measures.  2.  There  was  no  power  in  the 
Continental  Congress  to  punish  individuals  for  any  breach 
of  their  enactments.  Their  laws  must  be  wholly  without 
penal  sanction.  3.  They  had  no  power  to  lay  taxes,  or  to 
collect  revenue  for  the  public  service.  The  power  over 
taxes  was  expressly  and  exclusively  reserved  to  the  States. 
4.  They  had  no  power  to  regulate  commerce,  either  with 
foreign  nations  or  among  the  several  States.  It  was  left, 
with  respect  to  both,  exclusively  to  the  management  of 
each  particular  State,  thus  being  at  the  mercy  of  private 
interests  or  local  prejudices.  5.  As  might  be  expected, 
"  the  most  opposite  regulations  existed  in  different  Slates, 
and  there  was  a  constant  resort  to  retaliatory  legislation 
from  their  jealousies  and  rivalries  in  commerce,  ia  agri- 
culture, or  in  manufactures.  Foreign  nations  did  not  fail 
to  avail  themselves  of  all  the  advantages  accruing  from 
this  suicidal  policy  tending  to  the  common  ruin."  6.  For 
want  of  some  singleness  of  power,  —  a  power  to  act  with 
uniformity  and  one  to  which  all  interests  could  be  recon- 
ciled,—  foreign  commerce  was  sadly  crippled,  and  nearly 
destroyed.  The  country  was  deeply  in  debt,  without  a 
dollar  to  pay,  or  the  means  even  to  draw  a  dollar  into  the 
public  treasury,  and  what  money  there  was  in  the  country 
was  rapidly  making  its  way  abroad.  7.  Great  as  these 
embarrassments  were,  the  States,  full  of  jealousy,  were 
tenaciously  opposed  to  making  the  necessary  concessions 
to  remedy  the  great  and  growing  evil.  All  became  im- 
pressed with  the    fear,  that,  unless    a    much  stronger 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  119 

national  government  could  be  instituted,  all  that  had  been 
gained  by  the  Revolutionary  struggle  would  soon  be 
lost. 

261.  What  were  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws? 

Two  laws  passed  by  Congress  in  1798.  The  Alien  Law 
empowered  the  President  to  send  out  of  the  country,  at 
short  notice,  any  foreigners  whose  presence  might  be 
deemed  injurious  or  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the 
United  States,  and  lengthened  the  time  requisite  for  be- 
coming naturalized  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  four- 
teen years.  The  Sedition  Law  limited  the  freedom  of 
speech,  and  of  the  press  when  directed  abusively  against 
the  government.  Under  this  act  it  was  a  crime  punishable 
with  heavy  fine  and  long  imprisonment  "  to  write,  print, 
utter,  or  publish  any  false,  scandalous,  or  malicious  state- 
ment against  either  President  or  Congress."  These  laws 
did  much  to  defeat  Adams's  re-election  in  1800. 

262.  What  were  the  principal  causes  of  the  late 
Civil  War? 

The  principal  causes  of  the  Civil  War  were  five  in  num- 
ber: 1.  The  different  construction  put  upon  the  national 
Constitution  by  the  people  of  the  N^orth  and  the  South. 
2.  The  different  system  of  labor  in  the  North  and  in  the 
South.  3.  The  want  of  intercourse  between  the  people 
of  the  North  and  the  South.  4.  The  publication  of  sec- 
tional books.    5.    The  evil  influence  of  demagogues. 

263.  What  is  the  title  of  the  Czar  of  Russia? 


120  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

Emperor  and  Autocrat  of  all  the  Russias,  of  Moscow, 
of  Kieff,  of  Vladimir,  of  Novgorod;  Czar  of  Kazan,  of 
Astrakhan,  of  Poland,  of  Siberia,  of  Kherson-Taurida, 
of  Grousi;  Gosondar  of  Pskoff ;  Grand  Duke  of  Smolensk, 
of  Lithuania,  of  Volhynia,  of  Podolia,  and  of  Finland; 
Prince  of  Esthouia,  of  Livonia,  of  Courlaud,  of  Semiga- 
lia,  of  the  Samoyedes,  of  Bielostok,  of  Corelia,  of  Focr, 
of  Ingor,  of  Perm,  of  Viatka,  of  Bulgaria,  and  of  other 
countries;  Master  and  Grand  Duke  of  the  lower  countries 
in  Novgorod,  of  Tcheruigoff,  of  Eiazan,  of  Polotsk,  of 
Eostoff,  of  Jaroslaff,  of  Bielosersk,  of  Ondork,  of 
Obdorsk,  of  Kondisk,  of  Vitelsk,  of  Mstilaff,  and  of  all 
the  countries  of  the  North;  Master  Absolute  of  Iversk, 
of  Kastalnisk,  of  Kalardinsk,  and  of  the  territory  of 
Armenia;  Sovereign  of  Mountain  Princes  of  Tcherkask, 
Master  of  Turkestan,  Ileir-presumptive  of  Norway,  and 
Duke  of  Sleswick-Holstein,  of  Stormarne,  of  Dutbmarse, 
and  of  Oldenburg. 

264.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  To  speak 
for  Buncombe"  ? 

This  phrase,  which  means  to  speak  for  mere  show,  or 
for  purposes  of  political  intrigue,  originated  in  the  Six- 
teenth Congress,  near  the  close  of  the  debate  on  the 
famous  "  Missouri  Question/'  Felix  Walker,  a  iiaive  old 
mountaineer,  who  resided  at  Waynesville,  in  Haywood, 
the  most  western  county  of  North  Carolina,  near  the 
border  of  the  adjacent  county  of  Buncombe,  arose  to 
speak,  while  the  house  was  impatiently  calling  for  the 
"  Question.''^  Several  members  gathered  round  him  and 
insisted  on  his  silence,  but  he  continued  to  speak,  declar- 
ing that  the  people  of  his  district  expected  it,  and  that  he 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  121 

was  bound  to  "make  a  speech  for  Buncombe."  Ilunce 
the  phrases,  "To  speak  I'or  Buncombe,"  "All  for  Bun- 
combe," etc. 

2G5.  What  President  was  buried  at  the  expense  of 
his  friends? 

James  Monroe,  although  he  had  received  S350,000  for 
his  i^ublic  services,  yet,  on  account  of  the  free-handed 
hospitality  so  characteristic  of  his  native  State  (Virginia) 
in  her  palmy  days,  together  with  his  life-long  occupation 
in  public  affairs  to  the  neglect  of  his  own  estate,  was  so 
involved  in  debt,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  that  his  funeral 
expenses  were  met  l)y  his  friends. 

266.     What  President  married  tbe  same  lady  twice? 

In  the  summer  of  1791,  Andrew  Jackson  married  Mrs. 
Rachel  Robards,  a  daughter  of  Col.  John  Donelson,  of 
Virginia,  one  of  the  founders  of  Tennessee.  Her  first 
husband  was  Mr.  Lewis  Robards,  of  Kentucky.  Robards 
and  his  wife  were  boarding  with  Mrs.  Donelson,  then  a 
widow,  when  Jackson  arrived  at  Nashville,  and  took  up 
his  lesidence  in  the  same  family.  In  1790-1791,  Robards 
api^lied  to  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  for  an  act  prelimi- 
nary to  a  divorce,  stating  that  his  wife  was  living  in  adul- 
tery with  Andrew  Jackson.  The  act  was  passed,  under  it 
a  jury  was  summoned  late  in  1793,  and  the  court  of  Mer- 
cer (bounty,  Ky.,  declared  the  marriage  between  Lewis 
Robards  and  Rachael  Robards  dissolved.  Jackson  and 
Mrs.  Robards  believed  the  act  passed  by  the  Legislatuie 
was  itself  a  divorce,  and  they  were  married  at  Natchez 
two  years  before  the  action  of  the  court.     At  the  sugges- 


122     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

tion  of  their  friend  Judge  Overton,  who  also  was  surprised 
to  learn  that  the  act  of  the  Legislature  had  not  divorced 
Robards,  they  procured  a  license  in  January,  1794,  and 
had  the  ceremony  performed  again.  When  Gen.  Jackson 
had  become  the  chief  of  a  great  party,  the  circumstances 
of  this  marriage  led  to  very  serious  misrepresentations. 
Robards  was  prone  to  jealousy  without  cause,  and  Jackson 
was  not  the  first  man  of  whom  he  was  jealous.  His 
statement  to  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  is  believed  to 
have  been  wholly  unfounded.  His  relatives  all  sided  with 
his  wife,  and  never  supposed  her  to  be  guilty  of  even  an 
act  of  impropriety. 

267.     Why  is  Alaska  so  called ? 

In  the  dialect  of  the  natives  first  encountered  by  the 
Russian  explorers,  the  land  was  called  Al-ay-es-ka,  "  the 
great  land."  From  this  the  present  name  has  become 
changed  through  Aliaska  and  Alaksa  to  its  present 
form. 


268.  Who  was  the  nearest  common  ancestor  of 
nearly  all  the  reigning  monarchs  of  Europe  ? 

John  of  Gaunt  (1339-1399),  fourth  son  of  Edward  IIL 
of  England,  although  he  himself  was  never  a  king,  nor 
were  any  of  his  brotheis  or  sisters  even  sovereigns,  was 
the  common  ancestor  of  nearly  all  the  crowned  heads  of 
Christendom.  The  monarchs  descended  from  him  are 
Victoria,  Queen  of  England,  who  is  of  the  sixteenth  gen- 
eration; Louis  I.,  King  of  Portugal,  of  the  fifteenth  gen- 
eration; Alphonzo  XII.,  the  late  King  of  Spain,  of  the 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     123 

sixteenth  generation;  Francis  Joseph  I.,  Emperor  of 
Austria,  of  the  fifteenth  generation;  Leopold  II.,  King  of 
Belgium,  of  the  seventeenth  generation;  Christian  IX., 
King  of  Denmark,  of  the  sixteenth  generation;  Humbert, 
King  of  Italy,  of  the  sixteen th  generation;  George  I., 
King  of  Greece,  of  the  seventeenth  generation;  Alexander 
III.,  Emperor  of  Russia,  of  the  eighteenth  generation; 
William  I.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  of  the  sixteenth  gener- 
ation; Dom  Pedro  II.,  Emperor  of  Brazil,  is  of  the  four- 
teenth generation,  the  nearest  of  kin  to  the  English 
progenitor;  the  late  Chambord  (Henry  V.),  claimant 
of  the  French  throne,  was  of  the  sixteenth  generation; 
and  Louis  Philippe  Albert,  Prince  d' Orleans,  the  Orlean- 
ist  claimant  of  the  French  throne,  is  of  the  seventeenth 
generation. 


269.     Who  was  the  "  Red  Prince  "  ? 

Prince  Frederick  Charles  Nicholas,  of  Germany  (1828- 
1885),  a  nephew  of  Emperor  William  I.,  was  so  called 
from  his  favorite  attire,  —  the  scarlet  uniform  of  his 
Brandenburg  Hussars,  which  he  loved  far  more  than  the 
full  sflitter  of  his  highest  honors. 


270.     Why  is  New  Jersey  called  a  foreign  country? 

In  the  early  days  of  railways  the  New  Jersey  Legisla- 
ture chartered  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad,  but 
neglected  to  impose  a  tax  upon  its  earnings  or  plant.  A 
few  years  later,  when  it  became  a  valuable  property,  the 
State,  unable  to  modify  the  charter,  levied  a  State  tax  upon 
each  passenger  carried.     This  tax  fell  upon  travellers  who 


124     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

lived  outside  the  State  as  well  as  Jersey  men,  and  the 
former,  because  they  were  taxed  to  pass  through  it,  face- 
tiously termed  New  Jersey  a  foreign  country. 

271.  Why  is  Canada  so  called  ? 

Charleroix  says  that  this  name  is  from  an  Iriquois  word 
Kannata,  a  collection  of  huts.  There  is,  however,  a 
Spanish  tradition  that  some  Spanish  explorers  visiting  the 
country  in  search  of  gold,  and  finding  no  mines,  or  other 
appearance  of  riches,  said,  AcaNada,  "  Here  is  nothing," 
which,  being  repeated  by  the  natives  to  subsequent  visitors 
from  Europe,  was  supposed  to  be  the  name  of  the 
country. 

272.  Which  is  the  "  Railroad  City  "? 

Indianapolis,  the  largest  city  in  the  United  States  situ- 
ated on  non-navigable  waters.  The  first  railway  entered 
the  city  in  1847.  Now,  twelve  main  lines  converge  in  the 
Union  Depot.  About  a  hundred  passenger  trains,  con- 
nected with  every  part  of  the  country,  enter  and  depart 
daily.  The  numerous  tracks  being  on  a  level  with  the 
surface  of  the  streets,  the  obstruction  and  danger  at  the 
numerous  crossings  Ijecame  very  great  on  account  of  the 
increase  of  railway  traffic,  so  that  in  1877  a  loop  line,  called 
the  "Belt,"  had  to  be  made,  passing  round  the  city,  to 
connect  the  various  railways.  By  means  of  it  the  "  through 
freight-cars  "  are  conveyed  past  the  city  without  blocking 
the  traflSc. 

273.     Which  is  the  "  Sasre  Brush  State  "  ? 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     125 

The  flora  of  Nevada  is  so  scanty  and  so  charactei'ized  by 
sage-brush,  or  Artemisia,  that  this  State  is  often  nick- 
named the  "  Sage  Brush  State."  Artemisia  is  a  low, 
irregular  shrub,  with  tliick  crooked  stems,  growing  in  dry 
alkaline  soils,  which  without  irrigation  will  produce  noth- 
ing else. 

274.  What  ancient  city  brought  about  its  own  de- 
struction by  an  ill-timed  jest? 

Antioch,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Greek  kings  of  Syria, 
was  one  of  the  most  magnificent  cities  of  the  ancient  world. 
The  Antiochenes  themselves  brought  about  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  beautiful  city.  They  were  famous  above  all 
other  people  in  ancient  times  for  their  biting  and  scurrilous 
wit,  and  for  their  ingenuity  in  devising  nicknames;  and 
when  the  Persians  under  Chosroes  invaded  Syria,  in  538 
A.  D.,  the  Antiochenes  could  not  refrain  from  jesting  at 
them.  The  Persians  took  ample  revenge  by  the  total  de- 
struction of  the  city,  which,  however,  was  rebuilt  by  Jus- 
tinian. It  was  in  this  city  that  the  followers  of  Christ 
were  first  called  Christians. 

275.  Who  was  "Washington's  wife  ? 

Her  maiden  name  Avas  Martha  Dandridge.  She  was 
born  at  Kent,  Va. ,  May  17, 1732.  At  the  age  of  seventeen, 
she  was  married  to  Col.  John  Parke  Custis,  by  whom  she 
had  three  children.  Within  a  few  years  she  lost  her  eldest 
son  and  her  husband.  She  was  a  charming  widow  of 
twenty-six  when  Washington  first  met  her  at  the  house  of 
a  Mr.  Chamberlayne.  After  a  short  acquaintance,  they 
were  married  Jan.  6, 1759.    She  died  May  22, 1802. 


126  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

276.  What  was  the  height  of  Goliath? 

According  to  Samuel,  he  was  "  six  cubits  and  a  span." 
Mr.  Greaves  gives  the  length  of  the  cubit  as  twenty-one 
inches,  and  the  span  nine  inches.  This  would  make 
Goliath's  height  about  eleven  feet  three  inches. 

277.  What  is  the  balm  of  Gilead  ? 

The  balm  of  Gilead,  also  called  balsam  of  Mecca  and 
Opobalsam,  is  obtained  from  a  low  tree  or  shrub,  the  hal- 
samodendron  Gileadense,  which  grows  in  several  parts  of 
Arabia  and  Abyssinia.  To  obtain  the  juice,  the  bark  of 
the  tree  is  cut  at  the  time  when  the  sap  is  in  its  strongest 
period  of  circulation.  As  the  juices  ooze  through  the 
wound  they  are  received  into  small  earthen  bottles,  every 
day's  produce  being  poured  into  large  bottles  and  corked. 
When  fresh,  the  smell  of  the  balsam  is  exquisitely  fragrant, 
but  if  left  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  it  loses  this  quality. 
The  quantity  of  balsam  yielded  by  one  tree  is  said  never  to 
exceed  sixty  drops  in  a  day.  It  is,  therefore,  very  scarce, 
and  can  with  difficulty  be  procured  in  a  pure  and  unadul- 
terated state,  even  at  Constantinople. 

278.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  barber's  pole? 

In  former  times  barbers  served  the  public  in  the  capacity 
of  surgeons,  and  performed  the  act  of  bleeding,  that  being 
a  favorite  remedy  with  our  ancestors.  The  pole  repre- 
sented the  staff  held  by  the  person  being  bled,  and  the 
spiral  stripes  i)ainted  around  it  were  typical  of  the  two 
bandages  u^od  for  twisting  around  the  arm  previous  to  the 
bleeding  and  after  the  operation   had   been  performed. 


QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   BEADY  REPLIES.  127 

The  blue  stripes  and  stars  sometimes  seen  were  probabl}' 
introduced  by  some  barber  endowed  with  more  patriotism 
than  love  of  ancient  customs. 


279.     Which  is  the  "  youngest  Territory"? 

"Wyoming.  It  was  organized  by  the  act  of  Congress  ap- 
pi'oved  July  25,  1868,  from  portions  of  Dakota,  Idaho,  and 
Utah.  The  first  settlements  within  its  limits  were  made 
in  1867,  during  the  progress  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
although  there  had  been  a  garrison  at  Fort  Laramie  since 
1834. 


280.  Why  was  the  shamrock  adopted  as  the  emblem 
of  Ireland? 

The  shamrock  is  said  to  have  been  first  assumed  as  the 
badge  of  Ireland  from  the  circumstance  that  St.  Patrick 
made  use  of  it  to  illustrate  the  doctine  of  the  Trinity. 
The  story  as  told  by  Lover  is  as  follows:  "  When  St. 
Patrick  first  preached  the  Christian  faith  in  Ireland,  before 
a  powerful  chief  and  his  people,  when  he  spoke  of  one  God 
and  of  the  Trinit3^,the  chief  asked  how  one  could  be  in 
three.  St.  Patrick,  instead  of  attempting  a  theological 
definition  of  the  faith,  thought  a  simple  image  would  best 
serve  to  enlighten  a  simple  people,  and,  stooping  to  the 
earth,  he  plucked  from  the  green  sod  a  shamrock,  and 
holding  up  the  trefoil  before  them,  he  bid  them  there  be- 
hold one  in  three.  The  chief,  struck  by  the  illustration, 
asked  at  once  to  be  baptized,  and  all  his  sept  followed  his 
example." 


128  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

281.     What  was  the  origin  of  "  April  Fool "  ? 

How  the  custom  of  making  fools  on  the  tirst  of  April 
arose  is  not  certainly  known,  but  there  are  several  accounts 
of  its  origin,  viz. :  — 

1.  It  is,  perhaps,  a  travesty  of  the  sending  hither  and 
thither  of  the  Saviour  from  Annas  to  Caiaphas,  and  from 
Pilate  to  Herod,  because  during  the  Middle  Ages  this 
scene  in  Christ's  life  was  made  the  subject  of  a  miracle 
play  at  Easter,  Avhich  occurs  in  the  mouth  of  April. 

2.  As  March  25  used  to  be  New-Year's  Day,  April  1 
was  its  octave,  when  its  festivities  culminated  and  ended. 

3.  There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Jews  that  it  arose 
from  the  fact  that  Noah  sent  out  the  dove  on  the  first  of 
the  month  corresponding  to  our  April,  before  the  water 
had  abated.  To  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  great 
deliverance  of  Noah  and  his  family,  it  was  customary  on 
this  anniversary  to  punish  iiersons  who  had  forgotten  the 
remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  the  date,  by 
sending  them  on  some  bootless  errand,  similar  to  that  on 
which  the  patriarch  sent  the  luckless  bird  from  the  win- 
dow of  the  ark. 

4.  The  custom  refers  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  weather 
at  this  period. 

5.  It  is  a  relic  of  some  old  heathen  festival;  and  it  is 
curious  that  the  Hindoos  practise  similar  tricks  on  the 
31st  of  March,  when  they  hold  what  is  called  the  Hull 
Festival. 

The  custom,  Avhatever  is  its  origin,  appears  to  be  uni- 
versal throughout  Europe.  In  France  the  person  imposed 
upon  is  called  itn  poisson  cVAvril  (an  April  fish).  In 
England  aud  the  United  States  such  a  person  is  called  an 
April  fool;  in  Scotland,  a  gowk. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  129 

282.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  getting 
into  a  scrape  "  ? 

"The  deer  are  addicted,  at  certain  seasons,  to  dig  up 
the  laud  with  tlieir  fore-feet,  in  holes,  to  the  depth  of  a 
foot,  or  even  half  a  yard.  These  are  called  '  scrapes.'  To 
tumble  into  one  of  these  is  sometimes  done  at  the  cost  of  a 
broken  leg;  hence  a  man  who  finds  himself  in  an  unpleas- 
ant position,  from  which  extrication  is  difficult,  is  said  to 
have  '  got  into  a  scrape.'  " 

283.  To  what  does  the  phrase  "fitting  to  a  T" 
refer  ? 

This  phrase  refers  to  the  T  or  Tee  Square,  an  instru- 
ment used  in  drawing  and  mechanics ;  so  called  from  its 
resemblance  to  a  capital  T. 

284.  What  well-known  hymn  was  composed  in  a 
few  minutes  ? 

The  celebrated  hymn,  "  From  Greeland's  icy  moun- 
tains," etc.,  was  composed  at  Wrexham  in  1819.  On 
Whitsunday  in  that  year  Dr.  Shipley,  Dean  of  St.  Asaph 
and  Vicar  of  Wrexham,  preached  a  sermon  in  his  church 
on  behalf  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gos- 
pel. Heber  was  son-in-law  to  Dr.  Shipley  and  was  on  a 
visit.  The  doctor  on  the  previous  Satuixlay  asked  Heber 
to  "  write  something  for  them  to  sing  in  the  morning," 
and  in  a  few  minutes,  without  leaving  the  room,  Heber 
produced  the  hymn  now  so  well  known  all  over  the  world. 
He  was  then  in  his  thirty-sixth  year,  and  was  rector  of 
Hodnet. 


130     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  KEADY  REPLIES. 

285.     Why  was  the  magnet  so  called  ? 

The  word  "  magnet "  is  derived  from  the  name  of  the  city 
of  Magnesia,  in  Asia  Minor,  where  the  properties  of  the 
loadstone  are  said  to  have  been  discovered.  So  far  one 
authority.  Another  derives  it  from  llie  name  of  Magnes, 
a  shepherd,  who  is  said  to  have  discovered  the  magnetic 
power  through  being  detained  on  Mount  Ida  by  the  mag- 
netism of  the  mountain  attracting  the  nails  in  his  shoes, 
so  that  he  was  unable  to  move  from  the  spot. 


286.     What  was  the  "  Vinegar  Bible"  ? 

This  was  a  name  given  to  an  edition  of  the  Bible,  pub- 
lished in  1717  at  the  Clarendon  Press,  Oxford.  By  a 
ludicrous  misprint,  the  title  of  the  twentieth  chapter  of 
Luke  was  made  to  read  "Parable  of  the  Vinegar'''' 
instead  of  "Parable  of  the  Vineyard^'' \  hence  the 
name. 


287.     What  were  the  "  Breeches  Bibles  "  ? 

This  name  was  given  to  editions  of  the  so-called 
Genevan  Bible  (first  printed  at  Geneva,  by  Rowland 
Hall,  1560,  in  4to),  from  the  peculiar  rendering  of  Gen. 
iii.  7. 


288.     Who  is  "  Johnny  Crapaud  "  ? 

"  This  is  a  sportive  designation  of  a  Frenchman,  or  of 
the  French  nation  collectively  considered.  The  following 
account  has  been  driven  of  the  origin  of  this  name:  '  When 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  131 

the  French  took  the  city  of  Aras  from  the  Spaniards, 
under  Louis  XIV.,  after  a  long  and  most  desperate  siege, 
it  was  remembered  that  Nostradamus  had  said,  — 

'  Lea  anciens  crapaud*  prendront  Sara.' 
(The  ancient  toads  shall  Sara  take.) 

This  line  was  then  applied  to  this  event  in  a  very  round- 
about manner.  Sara  is  Aras  backward.  By  the  ancient 
toads  were  meant  the  French;  as  that  nation  formerly 
had  for  its  armorial  bearings  three  of  those  odious  rep- 
tiles, instead  of  the  three  flowers-de-luce  which  it  now 
bears." 


289.     Who  is  "  Cousin  Michael "  ? 

This  is  a  sportive  and  disparaging  designation  of  the 
German  people,  intended  to  indicate  the  weaknesses  and 
follies  of  the  national  character,  and  especially  the  prover- 
bial national  slowness,  heaviness,  and  credulity.  The 
name  Michel  is  often  used  as  a  contemptuous  designation 
of  any  simple,  coarse  rustic,  and  has  probably  acquired 
this  signification  through  a  mingling  of  the  Hebrew  with 
the  old  German  michel,  gross. 


290.     Who  is  "Taffy"? 

This  is  a  sobriquet  for  a  Welshman,  or  for  the  Welsh 
collectively.  The  word  is  a  corruption  of  David,  one  of 
the  most  common  of  Welsh  names. 


291.     Who  is  ' '  Ivan  Ivanovitch  "  ? 


132  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES. 

He  is  an  imaginary  personage,  who  is  the  embodiment 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  Russian  people,  in  the  same  way 
as  John  Bull  represents  the  English,  and  Johnny  Crapaud 
the  French  character.  He  is  described  as  a  lazy,  good- 
natured  person. 

292.  Who  is  ' '  John  Bull "  ? 

This  is  a  well-known  collective  name  of  the  English 
nation,  first  used  in  Arbuthnot's  satire,  "  The  Histor}"^  of 
John  Bull,"  usually  published  in  Swift's  works.  In  this 
satire,  the  French  are  designated  as  Lewis  Baboon,  the 
Dutch  as  Nicholas  Frog,  etc.  The  "  History  of  John 
Bull "  was  designed  to  ridicule  the  Duke  of  Marlborough. 

293 .  Who  is  ' '  Peeping  Tom  of  Coventry  "  ? 

This  epithet  is  given  to  a  person  of  ungovernable  in- 
quisitiveness.  The  term  is  said  to  have  arisen  thus:  "  The 
Countess  Godiva,  bearing  an  extraordinary  affection  to 
this  place  (Coventry),  often  and  earnestly  besought  her 
husband  (Leofric,  Earl  of  Murcia),  that,  for  the  love  of 
God  and  the  blessed  Virgin,  he  would  free  it  from  that 
grievous  servitude  whereunto  it  was  subject;  but  he,  re- 
buking her  for  importuning  him  in  a  matter  so  inconsistent 
with  his  profit,  commanded  that  she  should  thenceforth 
forbear  to  move  therein;  yet  she,  out  of  her  womanish 
pertinacity,  continued  to  solicit  him;  insomuch  that  he 
told  her  if  she  would  ride  on  horseback,  naked,  from  one 
end  of  the  town  to  the  other,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people, 
he  would  grant  her  request.  Whereunto  she  answered, 
'  But  will  you  give  me  leave  so  to  do  V  '  And  he  replying 
'yes,'  the  noble  lady,  upon  an  appointed  day,  got  on  horse- 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     133 

back,  naked,  with  her  hair  loose,  so  that  it  covered  all  her 
body  but  her  legs,  and  thus  performing  the  journey^  re- 
turned with  joy  to  her  husband,  who  therefore  granted  to 
the  inhabitants  a  charter  of  freedom,  which  immunity  I 
rather  conceive  to  have  been  a  kind  of  manumission  from 
some  such  servile  tenure,  whereby  they  then  held  what 
they  had  under  this  great  earl,  than  only  a  freedom  from 
all  manner  of  toll,  except  horses,  as  Knighton  affirms." 
It  is  said  by  Eapin,  that  the  countess,  previous  to  her  rid- 
ing, commanded  all  persons  to  keep  within  doors  and 
from  their  windows  on  pain  of  death ;  but,  notwithstanding 
this  severe  penalty,  there  was  one  person  who  could  not 
forbear  giving  a  look,  out  of  curiosity;  but  it  cost  him  his 
life. 


294.     What  was  the  "  Battle  of  Spurs  "  ? 

This  name  is  given  to  the  battle  of  Courtrai  (1302),  the 
first  great  engagement  between  the  nobles  and  the  burgh- 
ers, Avhich,  with  the  subsequent  battles  of  Bannockburn, 
Crecy,  and  Poictiers,  decided  the  fate  of  feudalism.  In 
this  encounter  the  knights  and  gentlemen  of  France  were 
entirely  overthrown  by  the  citizens  of  a  Flemish  manufac- 
turing town.  The  French  nobility  rushed  forward  with 
loose  bridles,  and  fell  headlong,  one  after  another,  into  an 
enormous  ditch  which  lay  between  them  and  their  enemies. 
The  whole  army  was  annihilated;  and  when  the  spoils 
were  gathered,  there  were  found  4,000  golden  spurs  to 
mark  the  extent  of  the  knightly  slaughter,  and  give  a  name 
to  the  engagement. 

This  name  is  also  given  to  the  affair  at  Guinegate,  near 
Cjilais  (1513),  in  which  the  English  troops  under  Henry 


134     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

VIII.  defeated  the  French  forces.  The  allusion  is  said  to 
be  to  the  unusual  energy  of  the  beaten  party  in  spurring 
off  the  field. 

295.  What  city  is  called  "  Auld  Reekie  "  ? 

This  designation  is  given  to  Edinburgh  on  account  of  its 
smoky  appearance,  as  seen  from  a  distance;  or,  according 
to  others,  on  account  of  the  uncleanliness  of  its  public 

streets. 

296.  Which  is  the  "City  of  Magnificent  Distances  "  ? 

This  popular  designation  is  given  to  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington, the  capital  of  the  United  States,  which  is  laid  out 
on  a  very  large  scale,  being  intended  to  cover  a  space  four 
miles  and  a  half  long  and  two  miles  and  a  half  broad,  or 
eleven  square  miles.  The  entire  site  is  traversed  by  two 
sets  of  streets  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  feet  wide,  at 
right  angles  to  one  another,  the  whole  again  intersected 
obliquely  by  fifteen  avenues  from  one  hundred  and  thirty 
to  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  wide. 

297.  Which  is  the  heaviest  metal? 

Platinum  was  long  considered  the  heaviest  metal,  but  it 
is  now  an  established  fact  that  both  osmium  and  iridium 
are  heavier  than  platinum.  The  most  recent  authorities 
differ  as  to  which  of  the  two  is  the  heavier,  but  there  is 
only  a  very  slight  difference.  Both  metals  are  used  for 
pointing  gold  pens.  Osmium  does  not  fuse  at  2870 degrees 
Fahrenheit,  the  greatest  heat  yet  produced,  and  is  as  yet 
infusible.  In  some  of  its  combinations  it  is  said  to  be  the 
most  poisonous  substance  known. 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  135 

298.  Which  is  the  lightest  metal? 

Lithium.  Its  specific  gravity  is  only  0.5936,  but  little 
more  than  half  that  of  water.  It  is  a  soft,  ductile,  white 
metal,  susceptible  of  being  welded  and  drawn  into  wire, 
but  has  less  tenacity  than  lead.  It  burns  brilliantly,  and 
floats  upon  water  and  naphtha.  It  was  supposed  to  be  a 
very  rare  substance,  but  Bunsen  and  Kirchhoff  have  shown 
by  spectrum  analysis  that,  though  sparingly,  it  is  widely 
distributed. 

299.  What  was  the  origin  of  "  Old  Scratch  "? 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  origin  of  this  term  must 
be  sought  for  in  the  Scrat,  Schrat,  Schretel,  or  Schretlein, 
a  house  or  wood  demon  of  the  ancient  N'orth. 

300.  Which  is  the  "  Prairie  State  "  ? 

Illinois  is  so  called  in  allusion  to  the  wide-spread  and 
beautiful  prairies,  which  form  a  striking  feature  of  the 
scenery  of  the  State. 

301 .  What  is  the  ' '  Via  Dolorosa  "  ? 

The  Via  Dolorosa  (the  way  of  pain)  is  a  name  given, 
since  the  Christian  era,  to  tlie  road  at  Jerusalem  leading 
from  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  Golgotha,  which  Jesus  passed 
over  on  his  way  to  the  place  of  crucifixion.  Upon  this 
road  are  situated  many  of  the  objects  consecrated  by 
Christian  traditions,  —  the  house  where  the  Virgin  Mary 
was  born,  the  church  erected  upon  the  spot  where  she  fell, 
when  she  beheld  Jesus  sink  under  the  weight  of  the  cross, 
the  house  of  St.  Veronica,  upon  whose  veil,  employed  to 


136  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

wipe  away  his  blood  and  sweat,  the  image  of  his  face  was 
miraculously  impressed.  The  road,  which  is  about  a  mile 
in  length,  terminates  at  the  Gate  of  Judgment. 

302.  Which  is  the  "  Turpentine  State  "  ? 

North  Carolina,  which  produces  and  exports  immense 
quantities  of  turpentine. 

303 .  Who  is  ' '  Black  Jack  "  ? 

Gen.  John  Alexander  Logan  has  been  so  called  from 
his  long,  black  hair  and  dark  complexion. 

304.  What  was  the  "  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta  "  ? 

This  name  is  commonly  given  to  a  certain  small  and 
close  dungeon  in  Foi*t  William,  Calcutta,  the  scene  of  one 
of  the  most  tragic  events  in  the  history  of  British  India. 
On  the  capture  of  Calcutta,  by  Surajah  Dowlah,  June  20, 
1756,  the  British  garrison,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-six  men,  being  made  prisoners,  were  locked  up  at 
night  in  this  room,  only  eighteen  feet  square,  and  poorly 
ventilated,  never  having  been  intended  to  hold  more  than 
two  or  three  prisoners  at  a  time.  In  the  morning,  of  the 
one  hundred  and  forty-six  who  were  imprisoned,  only 
twenty-three  were  found  alive.  In  the  "  Annual  Regis- 
ter-' for  1758  is  a  narrative  of  the  sufferings  of  those 
imprisoned,  written  by  Mr.  Hoi  well,  one  of  the  number. 
The  "  Black  Hole  "  is  now  used  as  a  warehouse. 

305.  How  did  Stonewall  Jackson  receive  his  sobri- 
quet? 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES.  137 

This  famous  appellation  of  Thomas  Jonath;in  Jackson 
(1824-1863)  had  its  origin  in  an  expression  used  by  the 
Confederate  Gen.  Bee,  on  trying  to  rally  his  men  at  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861,  —  There  is  Jackson 
standing  like  a  stone  wall.  From  that  day  he  was  known 
as  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  his  command  as  the  Stonewall 
Brigade. 

306.  Which  was  the  "  Battle  of  the  Herrings  "  ? 

This  name  is  given  by  historians  to  an  engagement 
which  took  place  Feb.  12, 1429,  in  which  Sir  John  Fastolfe, 
an  English  general,  at  the  head  of  1,500  men,  gained  a 
victory  over  6,000  Frenchmen  near  Orleans,  and  brought 
a  convoy  of  stores  in  safety  to  the  English  camp  before 
that  place.  The  stores  comprised  a  large  quantity  of 
herrings. 

307.  Which  is  the  "  Land  of  the  lucas"? 

Peru.  The  Incas  were  the  ancient  sovereigns  of  the 
country.  Manco  Capac,  the  first  luca,  appeared  accord- 
ing to  the  traditions,  with  his  sister.  Mama  Oello,  on  Titi- 
caca  Island,  a  spot  ever  after  held  holy.  These  two, 
claiming  to  be  children  of  the  sun,  were  regarded  as 
deities.  Manco  Capac  proceeded  northward,  and,  found- 
ing Cuzco  at  the  spot  where  his  golden  staff  sank  into  the 
ground,  introduced  civilization  and  art.  A  powerful  king- 
dom ai'ose  and  gradually  absorbed  the  neighboring  tribes. 

308.  What  Presidential  administration  has  been 
compared  to  a  parenthesis? 


138  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 

"  The  administration  of  Van  Buren,"  said  a  bitter  satir- 
ist, "  is  like  a  parenthesis:  it  may  be  read  in  a  low  tone  of 
voice  or  altogether  omitted  without  injuring  the  sense^' ! 

3^9.     Which  was  the  first  Bible  printed  in  America? 

The  first  Bible  printed  in  this  country  was  John  Eliot's 
Indian  Bible,  whose  title  was  this:  "  Mamusse  Wunuee- 
tupauatiimwe  Up-Biblum  God  naneswe  Xukkone  Testa- 
ment kah  wonk  Wusku  Testament.  Ne  quoshkinnumuk 
nashpc  Wuttineumoli  Christ  noli  oscGowesiL  John  Eliot." 
This  was  printed  in  1663.  The  Indian  language  in  which 
it  was  made  is  extinct,  and  it  is  said  that  only  one  man  now 
living  —  namely,  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  LL.  D  ,  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn. — can  read  it.  The  next  Bible  printed  here 
was  Saur's,  in  German,  in  1743;  the  first  English  Bible 
printed  here  was  at  Boston,  in  small  quarto,  in  1752. 

310.  What  names  are  given  by  the  Hebrews  to  the 
books  of  the  Bible  ? 

The  Jews,  or  Hebrews,  take  the  names  of  the  sacred 
books  from  the  first  word  with  which  each  begins;  but  the 
Greeks,  whom  our  translators  generally  follow,  take  the 
names  from  the  subject-matter  of  them.  Thus,  the  first 
book  is  called  by  the  Hebrews,  Bercshith^  which  signifies 
"  In  the  beginning,"  these  being  tlie  first  words;  but  the 
Greeks  called  it  Genesis,  which  signifies  "production," 
because  the  creation  of  the  world  is  the  first  thing  of  which 
it  gives  an  account.  Exodus,  which  signifies  in  the  Greek 
"The  going  out,"  was  so  called  from  the  account  which 
it  gives  of  the  Israelites  going  out  of  Egypt;  but  the  He- 
brews call  it  Velle  Shemoth,  that  is, "  These  are  the  names," 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES.  139 

which  are  the  words  with  which  it  begins.  Leviticus  they 
call  Vayicre,  that  is,  "  And  he  called  ";  !N'umbers  they  call 
Vayedavhevy  that  is,  "And  he  spake";  Deuteronomy 
they  call  Elle-haddehar,  that  is,  "  These  are  the  words"; 
etc.,  etc. 

311.  "What  is  the  national  emblematic  flower  of 
China  and  Japan  ? 

The  Chrysanthemum.  It  receives  the  most  reverential 
care  and  attention,  surpassing  by  far  in  devotion  that  ac- 
corded to  the  fleur-de-lis,  lilies,  roses,  and  thistles,  the  em- 
blems of  other  countries.  Each  recurring  year  in  Novem- 
ber, in  all  the  laigc  cities  in  Japan,  and  in  nearly  every 
street,  thousands  of  plants  are  sold,  trained  generally  to 
one  stem,  with  a  solitary  large  flower  of  immense  size, 
often  ten  to  twelve  inches  across.  A  very  ordinary  flower 
of  some  six  inches  is  sold  for  five  cents,  the  very  largest 
specimens  being  sold  for  twenty-five  cents,  pot  included. 

312.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  first  steamboat 
invented  ? 

The  first  practical  success  in  steam  navigation  was 
made  by  John  Fitch,  a  native  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  who  had 
settled  in  New  Jersey  as  a  silversmith.  The  happy 
thought  of  propelling  vessels  by  steam  originated  with 
him  in  1784.  He  rapidly  matured  his  plans,  and  in  August, 
1785,  he  petitioned  Congress  for  aid  in  constructing  his 
boat.  The  records  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society 
of  Philadelphia  show  that  "a  model,  accompanied  by  a 
■  drawing  and  description  of  a  machine  for  working  a  boat 
against  a  stream  by  means  of  a  steam-engine,  was  laid 


140     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

before  the  society  by  John  Fitch  on  Sept.  27,  1785." 
With  the  pecuniary  assistance  of  several  gentlemen,  he 
immediately  undertook  to  build  a  steamboat.  In  the  Co- 
lumbia Muijazine  for  December,  1786,  he  gave  a  descrip- 
tion of  this  vessel  and  its  machinery.  A  steam  cylinder 
over  three  feet  long  and  one  foot  in  diameter  was  placed 
horizontally  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat;  the  steam  was  let 
in  at  each  end  of  the  cylinder  alternately,  and  after  moving 
a  reciprocating  piston  was  discharged  into  a  condenser, 
which  formed  a  vacuum  in  the  cylinder  behind  the  moving 
piston.  The  force  of  the  piston  was  transmitted  to  cranks 
on  each  side  of  the  boat;  which  by  means  of  connecting 
bars,  moved  twelve  paddles,  three  on  each  side  being  in 
the  water  and  three  out  at  the  same  time.  On  May  1, 
1781,  Fitch's  steamboat,  "  The  Perseverance,"  was  put  in 
motion  on  the  Delaware  Kiver,  and  made  three  miles  an 
hour.  This  speed  did  not  satisfy  Fitch,  and  various  im- 
provements were  soon  added.  The  boat,  with  its  greatly 
increased  power,  was  successfully  tested  in  the  fall  of  1788. 
The  late  Dr.  Thornton,  long  at  the  head  of  the  United 
States  Patent  Office,  and  many  other  eminent  men,  certi- 
fied that  the  steamer  moved  in  dead  water  at  the  rate  of 
eight  miles  an  hour,  or  one  mile  in  seven  and  a  half  min- 
utes. With  thirty  passengers  the  boat  left  Philadelphia, 
and,  moving  against  the  current  of  the  Delaware,  reached 
Burlington,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  in  three  hours  and 
ten  minutes.  Dr.  Thornton  stated  that  "  The  Perseverance  " 
afterwards  made  eighty  miles  in  one  day.  This  speed  will 
excite  wonder  when  the  difficulty  of  keeping  the  piston 
tight  against  the  comparatively  rough  interior  surface  of 
the  cylinder  is  taken  into  consideration.  The  steamboat 
was  run  for  some  time  as  a  packet  to  Burlington,  but  after 
several  mishaps  it  was  burned  in  1792.     But  more  money 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  141 

was  needed  to  introduce  the  invention,  and  the  numerous 
stockholders  could  not  be  brought  to  respond  to  further 
assessments.  Fitch  himself  was  cramped  for  the  neces- 
saries of  life.  He  repeatedly  asserted  that  the  passenger 
traffic  of  the  great  Western  rivers  would  one  day  be  carried 
on  exclusively  by  steam,  that  ships  of  war  and  packet 
ships  would  navigate  the  Atlantic  by  steam,  and  that  some 
one  who  came  after  him  would  reap  fame  and  fortune  from 
his  invention.  Fitch's  claim  of  invention  was  contested 
by  James  Rumsey,  of  Maryland,  who,  in  1786,  drove  a  boat 
on  the  Potomac,  near  Sheppardstown,  at  the  rate  of  four 
miles  an  hour  by  means  of  a  water-jet  forced  out  at  the 
stern.  But  a  careful  examination  of  the  evidence  proves 
that  the  honor  of  bringing  the  invention  to  a  successful 
completion  belongs  to  Fitch.  It  may  also  be  mentioned 
that  a  boat  was  propelled  by  steam  on  the  Conestoga  River 
in  1703  by  William  Henry,  of  Chester  County,  Penn.,  but 
this  was  only  an  experiment,  although  attended  with  flat- 
tering results,  and  had  no  permanent  effect.  It  was  from 
Fitch's  labors  that  Fulton  first  conceived  the  idea  of  steam 
navigation,  which  has  made  his  name  famous. 

313.  In  what  American  city  are  burials  made  en- 
tirely above  the  ground? 

One  of  the  noted  features  of  !N'ew  Orleans  is  its  ceme- 
teries. Owing  to  the  undrained  condition  of  the  subsoil, 
burials  are  made  entirely  above  ground,  in  tombs  of  stuc- 
coed brick  and  of  granite  and  marble.  Some  of  these  are 
very  elegant  and  costly,  and  many  of  the  burial  grounds, 
with  their  long  alleys  of  these  tombs  of  diverse  designs 
deeply  shaded  by  avenues  of  cedars  and  the  Magnolia 
grandijlora,  possess  a  severe  but  emphatic  beauty. 


142     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

314.  Who  were  the  "Three  Kings  of  Cologne"? 

This  name  is  given  to  the  tliree  Magi  who  came  from 
the  East  to  offer  gifts  to  the  infant  .Jesus.  Their  names 
are  commonly  said  to  be  Malchior,  Gaspar,  and  Balthazar. 
Gaspar  means  "the  white  one";  Malchior,  "  Iving  of 
hght";  Balthazar,  "lord  of  treasures."  The  first  offered 
gold,  symbolic  of  kingship;  the  second,  frankincense, 
symbolic  of  divinity;  the  third,  myrrh,  symbolic  of  death, 
myrrh  being  used  in  embalming  the  dead.  Their  bodies 
are  said  to  have  been  brought  by  the  Empress  Helena  from 
the  East  to  Constantinople,  whence  they  were  transferred 
to  Milan.  Afterward,  in  11G4,  on  Milan  being  taken  by 
the  Emperor  Frederick,  they  were  presented  by  him  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Cologne,  who  placed  them  in  the  principal 
hurch  of  the  city,  where,  says  Cressy,  "  they  are  to  this 
day  celebrated  with  great  veneration."  Another  tradition 
gives  their  names  as  Apellius,  Amerus,  and  Damascus; 
another  as  Magalath,  Galgalath,  and  Sarasin;  and  still  an- 
other as  Ator,  Sator,  and  Peratoras. 

315.  Which  is  the  highest  spot  inhabited  by  human 
beings  ? 

It  is  said  to  be  the  Buddhist  cloister  of  Hanie,  Thibet, 
where  twenty-one  priests  live  at  an  altitude  of  sixteen 
thousand  feet. 

316.  When  was  the  "  Dark  Day  "  ? 

May  19, 1780,  was  so  called  on  account  of  a  remarkable 
darkness  on  that  day  extending  over  all  New  England, 
lu  some  places  persons  could  not  see  to  read  common 
print  in  the  open  air  for  several  hours  together.     Birds 


QUEER   QUESTIOXS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  143 

sang  their  evening  song,  disappeared,  and  became  silent; 
fowls  went  to  roost;  cattle  sought  the  barnyard;  and  can- 
dles were  lighted  in  the  houses.  The  obscuration  began 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continued  till  the 
middle  of  the  next  night,  but  with  differences  of  degree 
and  duration  in  different  places.  For  several  days  pre- 
vious the  wind  had  been  variable,  but  chiefly  from  the 
southwest  and  the  northeast.  The  true  cause  of  this 
remarkable  phenomenon  is  not  known. 

317.  When  was  the  "Day  of  Barricades"? 

May  12, 1588.  On  this  day  the  Duke  of  Guise  entered 
Paris,  when  Henry  III.,  at  his  instigation,  consented  to 
take  severe  measures  against  the  Huguenots,  ou  the  prum- 
ise  that  the  duke  would  assist  him  in  purging  Paris  of 
strangers  and  obnoxious  persons.  No  sooner,  however, 
was  an  attempt  made  to  carry  out  this  plan,  than  the 
populace  arose,  erected  barricades,  and  attacked  the  king's 
troops  with  irresistible  fury.  Henry  III.,  having  requested 
the  Duke  of  Guise  to  put  a  stop  to  the  conflict,  fled  from 
Paris,  and  the  moment  the  duke  showed  himself  to  the 
people,  they  pulled  down  (he  barricades. 

This  name  is  also  given  to  Aug.  26,  1648;  so  called  on 
account  of  a  riot,  instigated  by  the  leaders  of  the  Fronde, 
which  took  place  in  Paris  on  that  day. 

318.  Why  are  the  oceans  so  named? 

When,  on  the  27th  of  November,  1520,  Ferdinand- 
Magellan  swept  into  the  calm  waters  of  that  new  sea  on 
which  he  was  the  first  to  sail,  he  named  it  the  3fnr  Pa- 
cifico,  on  account  of  its  peacefully  rolling  waters  and  its 
freedom  fi-oni  violent  stornT*. 


144  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

The  Atlantic  is  so  called  from  the  Atlas  Mountains 
near  its  eastern  shores,  or  from  the  fabled  island  of  Atlan- 
tis, which  was  situated  in  its  bosom. 

The  Indian  Ocean  is  so  called  because  it  lies  about 
India  and  the  Indies. 

The  Arctic  Ocean  lies  ^lirectly  under  the  constellation 
of  the  Bear.     Greek  "Aqktoi;,  a  bear. 

The  Antarctic  Ocean  lies  opposite  to  the  Arctic.  Greek 
^avTi,  against. 

319.     What  was  the  "  El  Dorado  "  ? 

El  Dorado,  or  the  golden  land,  was  a  name  given  by 
the  Spaniards  to  an  imaginary  country,  supposed,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  to  be  situated  in  the  interior  of  South 
America,  between  the  rivers  Orinoco  and  Amazon,  and 
abounding  in  gold  and  all  manner  of  precious  stones. 
Expeditions  were  fitted  out  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 
this  fabulous  region;  and,  though  all  such  attempts  proved 
abortive,  the  rumors  of  its  existence  continued  to  be 
believed  down  to  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
It  is  said  that  the  name  was  at  first  applied,  not  to  a  coun- 
try, but  to  a  man,  "el  rey  dorado."  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
in  his  "Discovery  of  the  Large,  liich,  and  Beautiful 
Empire  of  Guiana,"  gives  a  description  of  the  rising  of 
this  gilded  king,  whose  chamberlains,  every  morning  after 
having  rubbed  his  naked, body  with  aromatic  oils,  blew 
powdered  gold  over  it  through  long  sarhacans.  After  the 
name  came  to  be  used  as  the  designation  of  a  country,  it 
seems  to  have  been  variously  applied,  and  the  expeditions 
in  search  of  the  golden  land  had  different  destinations. 
Francisco  Orellana,  a  companion  of  Pizarro,  was  the  first 
to  spread  the  account  of  this  fabulous  region  in  Europe. 


QTJEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY  REPLIES.  145 

320.  What  people  formed  the  fij-st  temperance 
society  ? 

The  Kechabites.  "  But  they  said,  We  will  drink  no 
wine;  for  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab  our  father  com 
manded  us,  saying,  Ye  shall  drink  no  wine,  neither  ye 
nor  your  sons  forever."  — Jeremiah  xxxv.  6. 

321.  Where  is  the  "  Bridge  of  Sighs  "  ? 

The  "Bridge  of  Sighs"  is  a  name  popularly  given  to 
the  covered  passageway  which  connects  the  Doge's  pal- 
ace in  "Venice  with  the  state  prisons,  from  the  circum- 
stance that  the  condemned  prisoners  were  transported 
over  the  bridge  from  the  hall  of  judgment  to  the  place  of 
execution.  This  bridge  was  built  in  1589  by  Da  Ponte. 
Hood  has  used  the  name  as  the  title  of  one  of  his  poems. 

(  322.     In  what  country  does  grass  grow  upon  trees?    j 

The  grass-tree  is  a  native  of  Australia.  It  belongs  to 
the  order  Liliacece.  These  trees  are  especially  distinguished 
by  their  crowns  of  long,  pendulous,  grass-like  leaves, 
from  the  centre  of  which  arises  a  long  stalk  bearing  at 
its  summit  a  dense  flower  spike  looking  somewhat  like  a 
large  cat-tail.  Some  species  have  very  short  stems,  while 
others  have  trunks  six  to  eighteen  feet  high,  which,  with 
their  singular  tufts  of  leaves,  form  a  striking  feature  in 
the  Australian  landscape.  The  grassy  leaves  are  gathered 
as  food  for  cattle,  and  their  tender  base  is  often  relished 
by  man. 

823.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  To  row  up 
Salt  River  "  ? 

10 


146  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND    READY    REPLIES. 

This  phrase  has  its  origin  in  the  fact  that  there  is  a 
small  stream  of  that  name  in  Kentucky,  the  passage  of 
which  is  made  difficult  and  laborious  as  well  by  its  tor- 
tuous course  as  by  the  abundance  of  shallows  and  bars. 
The  real  application  of  the  phrase  is  to  the  unhappy  wight 
who  has  the  task  of  propelling  the  boat  up  the  stream; 
but  in  political  or  slang  usage  it  was  to  those  who  are 
rowed  up, 

324.  Who  was  the  "  American  Pathfinder"? 

This  title  is  popularly  given  to  Major-General  John 
Charles  Fremont,  who  conducted  four  exploring  expedi- 
tions across  the  Rocky  Mountains.  On  one  instance,  when 
he  was  intercepted  by  a  range  of  mountains  covered  with 
snows,  which  the  Indians  declared  no  man  could  cross,  o-nd 
over  which  no  reward  could  induce  them  to  attempt  to  guide 
him,  Fremont  undertook  the  passage  without  a  guide,  and 
accomplished  it  in  forty  days,  reaching  Sutter's  Fort  on 
the  Sacramento  with  his  men  reduced  almost  to  skele- 
tons, and  with  only  thirty-three  out  of  sixly-seven  horses 
and  mules  remaining.  He  is  also  called  the  "  Pathtinder 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

325.  AVhich  is  the  largest  locomotive  in  the  world? 

The  largest  locomotive  in  the  world  is  called  El  Gober- 
nador,  built  at  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  shops  in  Sac- 
ramento, Cal.,  in  1883.  The  engine  and  tender  are 
sixty-five  feet  five  inches  long;  there  are  five  pairs  of 
drivers,  each  four  feet  nine  inches  in  diameter;  the  cylin- 
ders are  twenty-one  inches  in  diameter,  thirtj'-six  inch 
stroke;  there  are  twent}--six  wheels,  and  the  weight  of 
the  engine  is  seventy  three  tons. 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    ANL>    READY    REPLIES.  147 

326.  Whence  does  the  cravat  obtain  its  name? 

The  cravat  is  so  called  from  a  French  regiment  of  light 
horse  called  "  the  royal  Craaafe,"  because  they  were 
attired  in  the  fashion  of  the  Cravates  or  Croats,  as  they 
are  now  called,  inhabitants  of  an  Austrian  province,  who 
largely  composed  the  Austrian  army.  In  1636  the  French 
regiment  was  uniformed  in  imitation,  as  the  Zouaves  were 
at  a  later  day,  and  when  the  neckties  worn  by  these 
troops  became  fashionable  in  civil  as  well  as  military  ranks, 
the  name  of  the  regiment  was  given  to  the  tie. 

327.  Who  wro^e  the  first  English  book? 

Sir  John  Mandeville  in  1356.  In  it  he  shows  a  correct 
idea  of  tbe  form  of  the  earth,  and  of  position  in  latitude 
ascertained  by  observation  of  the  Pole  Star;  he  knows  that 
there  are  antipodes,  and  that  if  ships  were  sent  on  voyages 
of  discovery  they  might  sail  round  the  world.  And  he 
tells  a  curious  story  which  he  heard  in  his  youth,  how  a 
worthy  man  did  travel  ever  eastward  until  he  came  to  his 
own  country  again.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  repeatedly 
asserts  the  old  belief  that  Jerusalem  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  world,  whilst  he  maintains  in  proof  of  this  that  at  tbe 
equinox  a  spear  planted  erect  in  Jerusalem  casts  no  shadow 
at  noon;  which,  if  true,  would  only  show  that  the  city  was 
on  the  equator. 

328.  Who  was  the  first  child  born  of  English  parents 
in  America? 

Virginia  Dare,  who  was  born  at  Roanoke,  on  the  18th 
of  August,  1587.  Her  mother,  Eleanor  Dare,  was  the 
daughter  of  John  AVhiie,  the  governor  of  the  colony. 


148     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

329.  What  are  the  "  Horse  Latitudes  "  ? 

Seamen  give  this  name  to  a  bauli  or  region  of  calms  in 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  about  the  parallels  of  30-35  degrees 
north.  The  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  circum- 
stance that  vessels  formerly  bound  from  New  England  to 
the  West  Indies,  with  a  deck-load  of  horses,  were  often 
delayed  in  this  calm  belt  of  Cancer,  and,  for  want  of  water, 
were  obhged  to  throw  the  animals  overboard. 

330.  What  city  is  called  "  Porkopolis  "? 

Cincinnati,  one  of  the  greatest  American  pork  markets, 
is  popularly  so  called. 

331.  Who  was  the  "Iron  Duke  " ? 

Arthur  Wellesley,  K.  G.,  Duke  of  Wellington.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Rev.  G.  R.  Gleig,  this  sobriquet  arose  from 
the  building  of  an  iron  steamboat,  which  plied  between 
Liverpool  and  Dublin,  and  which  its  owners  called  the 
"Duke  of  Wellington."  The  term  "Iron  Duke"  was 
first  applied  to  the  vessel;  and  by  and  by,  rather  in  jest 
than  in  earnest,  it  was  transferred  to  the  duke  himself. 
It  had  no  reference  whatever,  at  the  outset,  to  any  pecul- 
iarities or  assumed  peculiarities  in  his  disposition;  though, 
from  the  popular  belief  that  he  never  entertained  a  single 
generous  feeling  toward  the  masses,  it  is  sometimes  under- 
stood as  a  figurative  allusion  to  his  supposed  hostility  to 
the  interests  of  the  lower  orders. 

332.  Where  is  the  "Island  of  St.  Brandan"? 

This  marvellous  flying  island,  the  subject  of  many  tra- 
ditions, is  represented  as  about  ninety  leagues  in  length, 
lying  beyond  the  Canaries.    This  island  appears  on  most 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  149 

of  the  maps  of  the  time  of  Columbus,  and  is  laid  down  in 
a  French  geographical  chart  of  as  late  a  date  as  1755, 
in  which  it  is  placed  five  degrees  west  of  the  island  of 
Ferro,  in  latitude  twenty-nine  degrees  north.  The  name 
St.  Brandan,  or  Borandan,  given  to  this  imaginary  island, 
is  said  to  be  derived  from  an  Irish  abbot  who  flour- 
ished in  the  sixth  century,  and  concerning  whose  voyage 
in  search  of  the  Islands  of  Paradise  many  legends  are  re- 
lated. Many  expeditions  were  sent  forth  in  quest  of  this 
mysterious  island,  the  last  being  from  Spain  in  1721;  hut 
it  always  eluded  the  search.  The  Spaniards  believe  this 
lost  island  to  be  the  retreat  of  their  KingRodrigo;  the 
Portuguese  assign  it  to  their  Don  Sebastian.  "  Its  reality," 
says  Irving,  "  was  for  a  long  time  a  matter  of  firm  belief. 
The  public,  after  trying  all  kinds  of  sophistry,  took  refuge 
in  the  supernatural  to  defend  their  favorite  chimera.  They 
maintained  that  it  was  rendered  inaccessible  to  mortals  by 
Divine  Providence,  or  by  diabolical  magic.  Poetry,  it  is 
said,  has  owed  to  this  popular  belief  one  of  its  beautiful 
fictions,  and  llie  garden  of  Armida,  where  Kinaldo  was  de- 
tained enchanted,  and  which  Tasso  places  in  one  of  the 
Canary  Isles,  has  been  identified  Avith  the  imaginary  San 
Borandan."  The  origin  of  this  illusion  has  been  ascribed 
to  certain  atmospherical  deceptions,  like  that  of  the  Fata 
Morgana. 

333,     Where  is  the  "  Island  of  the  Seven  Cities  "  ? 

This  imaginary  island  is  the  subject  of  one  of  the  pop- 
ular traditions  concerning  the  ocean,  which  were  current 
in  the  time  of  Columbus.  It  is  reiiresented  as  abounding 
in  gold,  Avith  magnificent  houses  and  temples,  and  high 
towers  thai  shone  at  a  distance.     The  legend  relates  that 


150  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AM)    READY    REPLIES. 

at  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  Spain  and  Portugal  by  the 
Moors,  when  the  inhabitants  fled  in  every  direction  to  es- 
cape from  slavery,  seven  bishops,  followed  by  a  great 
number  of  people,  took  shipping  and  abandoned  them- 
selves to  their  fate  upon  the  high  seas.  After  tossing 
about  for  a  time,  they  landed  upon  an  unknown  island  in 
the  midst  of  the  ocean.  Here  the  bishops  burned  the 
ships  to  prevent  the  desertion  of  their  followers,  and 
founded  seven  cities.  This  mysterious  island  is  said  to 
have  been  visited  at  different  times  by  navigators,  who, 
however,  were  never  permitted  to  return. 

334.  Why  has  March  25  been  adopted  as  "  Moving 
Day  "  in  many  parts  of  our  country  ? 

Until  the  adoption  of  the  Gregorian  calendar,  in  1752, 
the  English  legal  year  began  on  the  25th  of  March. 
Consequently  on  that  day  all  leases,  etc.,  expired,  lands 
changed  hands,  elc.  This  custom  still  survives  in  many 
parts  of  our  own  country,  and  March  25  is  our  "Moving 
Day."  Under  the  name  of  Lady  Day,  the  25th  of  March 
is  still  one  of  the  regular  quarter-days  in  England  and 
Ireland  for  the  payment  of  rent. 

335.  Who  was  Lalla  Rookh? 

This  heroine  of  a  poem  of  the  same  name  by  Moore 
is  the  daughter  of  the  great  Aurungzebe.  She  is  be- 
trothed to  the  young  king  of  Bucharia,  and  sets  forth, 
with  a  splendid  train  of  attendants,  to  meet  him  in  the 
delightful  valley  of  Cashmere.  To  amuse  the  languor,  or 
divert  the  impatience  of  the  royal  bride,  in  the  noontide 
and  night  halts  of  her  luxurious  progress,  a  young  Cash- 


QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  151 

merian  poet  had  been  sent  by  the  gaHantry  of  the  bride- 
groom, and  recites,  on  these  occasions,  the  several  tales 
that  make  up  the  bulk  of  the  poem.  With  him  she  falls 
desperately  in  love,  and  by  the  time  she  enters  the  lovely 
vale  of  Cashmere,  and  sees  the  glittering  palaces  and 
towers  prepared  for  her  reception,  she  feels  that  she  would 
joyfully  forego  all  this  pomp  and  splendor,  and  fly  to  the 
desert  with  the  youthful  bard  whom  she  adores.  He, 
however,  has  now  disappeared  from  her  side,  and  she  is 
supported,  with  fainting  heart  and  downcast  eye,  into  the 
presence  of  her  tyrant;  when  a  well-known  voice  bids 
her  be  of  good  cheer,  and,  looking  up,  she  sees  her 
beloved  poet  in  the  prince  himself,  who  had  assumed  this 
gallant  disguise,  and  won  her  affections  without  any  aid 
from  his  rank  or  her  engagement. 

336.  Which  is  the  "  Land  of  Steady  Habits  "? 

Connecticut  is  sometimes  so  designated,  in  allusion  to 
the  moral  character  of  its  inhabitants. 

337.  Which  is  the  "  Lumber  State  "  ? 

Maine.  The  inhabitants  of  this  State  are  largely  en- 
gaged in  the  business  of  cutting  and  rafting  lumber,  or 
of  converting  it  into  boards,  shingles,  scantlings,  and  the 
like. 

338.  What  was  the  "Bible  of  the  Greeks  " ? 

This  name  is  sometimes  applied  to  the  works  of  Homer 
and  Hesiod,  as  they  put  into  writing  the  beliefs  concern- 
ing the  gods. 

339.  Who  was  the  "  Prince  of  Destruction  "? 


152  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

This  name  was  conferred  upon  Tamerlane,  or  Timour 
(1335-1405),  one  of  the  most  culebrated  of  Oriental  con- 
querors, who  overran  Persia,  Tartary,  and  Hindoslan,  his 
conquests  exteuding  from  the  Volga  to  the  Persian  Gulf, 
and  from  the  Ganges  to  the  Archipelago.  lie  was  pre- 
vented only  by  the  want  of  shipping  from  crossing  into 
Europe.  lie  died  just  as  he  was  making  vast  preparations 
for  the  invasion  of  China.  No  conquests  were  ever 
attended  with  greater  cruelty,  devastation,  and  waste  of 
life. 

340.  What  was  the  ' '  Luz  "  ? 

This  name  was  given  by  the  old  Jewish  rabbins  to  an 
imaginary  little  bone  which  they  believed  to  exist  at  the 
base  of  the  spinal  column,  and  to  be  incapable  of  destruc- 
tion. To  its  ever-living  power,  fermented  by  a  kind  of  dew 
from  heaven,  they  ascribed  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 

"Hadrian  (whose  bones  may  tliey  be  ground,  and  his 
name  blotted  out!)  asked  R.  Joshua,  Ben  Ilananiah, 
'  How  doth  a  man  revive  again  in  the  world  to  come?' 
He  answered  and  said,  'From  luz,  in  the  backbone.' 
Saith  he  to  him,  '  Demonstrate  this  to  me.'  Then  he  took 
luz,  a  little  bone  out  of  the  backbone,  and  put  it  in  water, 
and  it  was  not  steeped;  he  put  it  in  the  fire,  and  it  was 
not  burned;  he  brought  it  to  the  mill,  and  that  could  not 
grind  it;  he  laid  it  on  the  anvil,  and  knocked  it  with  a 
hammer,  but  the  anvil  was  cleft,  and  the  hammer  broken." 
Lightfoot. 

341.  Who  was  the  "  Queen  of  Hearts  "  ? 

Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  James  I.,  and  the  unfortu- 
nate queen  of  Bohemia,  was  so  engaging  in  her  behavior, 
that  she  was  so  called  in  the  Low  Countries.     When  her 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES.  153 

fortunes  were  at  the  lowest  ebb,  she  never  departed  from 
her  dignity;  and  poverty  and  distress  seemed  to  liave  no 
other  effect  upon  her  but  to  render  her  more  an  object  of 
admiration  than  before. 

342.  Why  is  New  Jersey  sometimes  called 
*'  Spain  "  ? 

New  Jersey  receives  this  sobriquet  from  the  fact  that 
Joseph  Bonaparte,  the  eldest  brother  of  Napoleon,  and 
ex-king  of  Spain,  once  occupied  the  extensive  grounds 
and  mansion  called  Point  Breeze,  at  Bordentown,  in  that 
State.  Here  he  lived  for  some  years  under  the  title  of 
Comte  de  Survilliers,  endeared  to  the  inhabitants  by  his 
liberality  and  gracious  manners,  and  he  was  elected  to 
many  philanthropical  and  learned  associations.  An  act 
was  passed  in  1817  by  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey  to 
enable  him,  as  an  alien,  to  hold  real  estate. 

343.  Who  were  the  "  Roundheads  "  ? 

In  English  history  this  nickname  was  given,  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  I.,  to  the  Puritans  or  parliamentary 
party,  who  were  accustomed  to  wear  their  hair  cut  close 
to  the  head.  The  term  was  soon  extended  in  its  applica- 
tion so  as  to  include  all  the  adherents  of  the  Parliament, 
whether  Puritans  or  not.  The  origin  of  the  term  is  not 
certainly  known.  Some  attribute  it  to  the  circumstance 
that  staid  and  serious  j^ersons  at  the  time  of  the  civil  wars 
were  used  to  wear  black  skullcaps  reaching  down  to  the 
ears.  Others  say  it  was  because  the  Puritans  wore  their 
hair  short,  while  the  opposite  party,  the  Cavaliers,  Avore 
theirs  in  long  ringlets.  According  to  Ilaydn,  the  Puritans 
were  in  the  habit  of  putting  a  round  bowl  or  wooden  dish 


154  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AKD    READY    REPLIES. 

upon  their  heads,  and  cutting  their  hair  b}'  the  edge  or 
brim.  Still  another  account  is,  Ihat  Queen  Henrietta 
Maria,  at  Stratford's  trial,  asked  "  who  that  round-headed 
man  was,"  meaning  Mr.  Pym,  her  attention  having  been 
directed  to  him  "  because  he  spake  so  strongly."' 

344.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  expression  "  Simon 
Pure  "  ? 

This  expression,  which  means  ''  the  real  man,"  had  its 
origin  in  the  name  of  a  Pennsylvania  Quaker  iu  Mrs. 
Centlivre's  comedy,  "  A  Bold  Stroke  for  a  AVife."  Being 
about  to  visit  London  to  attend  the  quarterly  meeting  of 
his  sect,  his  friend,  Aminadab  Holdfast,  sends  a  letter  of 
recommendation  and  introduction  to  another  Quaker, 
Obadiah  Prim,  a  rigid  and  stern  man,  who  is  guardian  of 
Anne  Lovely,  a  young  lady  worth  £30,000.  Colonel  Feign- 
well,  another  character  in  the  same  play,  who  is  enamoured 
of  Miss  Lovely  and  her  handsome  fortune,  availing  himself 
of  an  accidental  discovery  of  Holdfast's  letter  and  of  its 
contents,  succeeds  in  passing  himself  off  on  Prim  as  his 
expected  visitor.  The  real  Simon  Pure,  calling  at  Prim's 
house,  is  treated  as  an  impostor,  and  is  obliged  to  depart 
in  order  to  hunt  up  witnesses  who  can  testify  to  his  iden- 
tity. Meantime  Feignwell  succeeds  in  getting  from  Prim 
a  written  and  unconditional  consent  to  his  marriage  with 
Anne.  No  sooner  has  he  obtained  possession  of  the  doc- 
ument, than  Simon  Pure  reappears  with  his  witnesses, 
and  Prim  discovers  the  trick  that  has  been  put  upon  him. 

34.5.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  To  catch 
a  Tartar '"  ? 


QUEER  Questions  and  ready  replies.         155 

An  Irish  soldier,  in  a  battle  against  the  Turks,  shouted 
to  his  commanding  officer  that  he  had  caught  a  Tartar. 
"Bring  him  along,  then,"  said  the  general.  "But  he 
won't  come."  "  Then  come  along  yourself."  "  Arrah! 
an'  so  I  would,  but  he  won't  let  me,"  answered  Paddy. 
Hence  arose  the  saying  "To  catch  a  Tartar,"  meaning  to 
be  outdone. 

346.  Which  is  the  oldest  street  in  New  England? 

Leyden  Street,  in  Plymouth,  Mass.  It  is  so  called  in 
memory  of  the  Dutch  city  where  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  had 
stopped  for  a  season. 

347.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  To  haul 
over  the  coals  "  ? 

One  method  of  extorting  money  from  the  Jews,  by  the 
kings  or  barons,  was  at  one  time  to  haul  them  over  the 
coals  of  a  slow  fire,  until  they  yielded  to  their  demands; 
hence  this  phrase,  meaning  to  scold,  to  take  to  task. 

348.  Which  is  the  "  Maiden  Town  "  ? 

Edinburgh  is  so  styled  from  a  monkish  fable  or  tradi- 
tion that  it  was  once  the  residence  of  the  daughters  of 
Pictish  kings,  who  were  sent  to  this  stronghold  for  protec- 
tion in  times  of  war  and  trouble. 

349.  What  was  the  ''  War  of  the  Roses  "  ? 

This  name  is  given  to  the  civil  war  which  raged  in 
England  from  the  reign  of  Henry  VI.  to  that  of  Henry 
VII.  (1452-148G),  on  account  of  the  badges  or  emblems  of 
the  parties  to  the  strife,  —  that  of  the  house  of  York  being. 
ix  white  rose,  and  that  of  the  house  of  Lancaster  a  red  rose. 


156     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

350.  "Which  was  the  first  American  bird  taken  to 

England  ? 

The  turkey.  When  John  Cabot  returned  from  his  dis- 
covery of  the  American  continent,  he  took  two  of  these 
birds  and  three  savages  as  liis  booty. 

351.  What  was  the  origin  of  "  S  "  ? 

There  are  several  theories  for  the  origin  of  the  sign  of 
the  American  dollar  :  — 

1.  That  it  is  a  combination  of  U.  S.,  the  initials  of  the 
United  States. 

2.  That  it  is  a  modification  of  the  figure  8,  the  dollar 
being  formerly  called  a  "/yiece  of  tt'jht^''  and  designated 
by  the  symbol  |. 

3.  That  it  is  derived  from  a  representation  of  the 
"  Pillars  of  Hercules,"  consisting  of  two  pillars  connected 
with  a  scroll.  The  old  Spanish  coins  containing  this  were 
called  '■'■  jjiUar  dollars.''^ 

4.  Tliut  it  is  a  combination  of  H.  S.,  the  mark  of  the 
Roman  money  unit. 

.5.  That  it  is  a  combination  of  P.  and  S.  from  the  Span- 
ish j^e.so  duro,  si'.'nifying  hard  djAlar.  In  Spanish  accounts 
peso  is  contracted  by  writing  the  S  over  the  P,  and  pla- 
cing it  after  the  sum. 

352.  By  whom  was  the  Northeast  Passage  dis- 
covered ? 

By  Prof.  Adolph  Eric  Xordenskjold,  a  Swedish  ex- 
plorer, who  left  Gothenburg,  Sweden,  July  4,  1S78,  in 
command  of  the  T'er/a,  and  arrived  in  .Japan  in  .July,  1879, 
after  lying  locked  up  in  the  ice  about  nine  months.    There 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     157 

were  peculiarly  favorable  conditions  which  enabled  him 
to  do  what  others  have  so  often  failed  to  do,  but  it  is 
something  of  a  triumph  to  have  in  any  case  achieved  a 
work  so  hazardous  and  remarkable,  and  Prof,  Nordensk- 
joUl  can  enjoy  a  distinction  which  he  has  fairly  and  hon- 
orably won. 

353.  "What  kind  of  goblets  were  formerly  considered 
as  preservatives  against  poison  ? 

Goblets  made  of  rhinoceros  horns  were  formerly  held 
in  high  estimation  as  preservatives  against  poison.  The 
kings  of  India  were  accustomed  to  have  their  wine  served 
up  in  these  goblets,  as  they  imagined  that  if  any  poison 
were  introduced  into  the  cup,  tlie  liquid  would  boil  over 
and  betray  its  presence. 

354.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "To  have 
a  bone  to  pick  with  one  "  ? 

A  Sicilian  father,  at  the  marriage  of  his  daughter,  after 
the  feast  gave  the  bridegroom  a  bone,  saying,  "•  Pick  this 
bone,  for  you  have  undertaken  a  much  harder  task.'' 
Hence  arose,  it  is  said,  the  above  phrase,  meaning  to  have 
an  unpleasant  afl'air  to  settle. 

355.  WTiat  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  To  throw 
dust  in  one's  eyes  "  ? 

''  To  throw  dust  in  one's  eyes  "  is  to  mislead.  The 
phrase  arose  from  a  Mohammedan  practice  of  casting  dust 
into  the  air  for  the  sake  of  "confounding"  the  enemies 
of  the  faith. 


156  QUEER   QUESTIONS    ANL)    READY    REPLIES. 

356.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  "By 
hook  or  by  crook  "  ? 

It  probably  means  "  foully  like  a  thief  or  holily  like  a 
bishop,"  the  hook  being  used  by  footpads,  and  the  crook 
being  the  bishop's  crosier. 

357.  Who  was  the  "  Scourge  of  God  "  ? 

This  title  is  often  given  to  -Attila,  or  Etzel,the  famous 
king  of  the  Iluns,  and  one  of  the  most  formidable  invad- 
ers of  the  Roman  Empire.  His  father,  Mundzuk,  was 
succeeded  by  his  brotheis  Octar  and  Rbiia-;  and  on  the 
death  of  Ehuas,  in  434,  Attila  and  his  brother  Bleda 
together  ascended  the  throne.  Their  dominions  are  said 
to  have  extended  from  the  Rhine  to  the  frontiers  of  Chinn. 
Attila  was  superstitiously  reverenced  by  his  countrymen; 
he  was  said  to  possess  the  miraculous  iron  sword  of  the 
Scythian  god  of  war,  and  he  proclaimed  himself  to  be  the 
man-child  born  at  Engaddi,  who  was  destined  to  rule  over 
the  whole  world.  At  the  head  of  an  army  of  700,000 
men  he  gradually  concentrated  on  himself  the  awe  and 
fear  of  the  whole  ancient  world,  which  ultimately  expressed 
itself  by  atfixing  to  his  name  the  well-known  epithet  of 
the  "  Scourge  of  God."  This  name  was  first  given  him, 
it  is  said,  by  a  hermit  in  Gaul.  In  the  year  453,  on  the 
night  of  his  marringe  to  a  beautiful  Gothic  maiden,  called 
Ildiko,  or  Hilda,  he  burst  a  blood-vessil,  and  expired,  to 
the  unspeakable  relief  of  both  Europe  and  Asia.  His 
body  was  put  in  a  coffin  of  iron,  over  which  was  one  of 
silver  and  a  third  of  gold.  He  was  buried  secretly  at 
night  together  with  a  mass  of  treasure  and  arms,  and  the 
captives  who  dug  his  grave  were  slaughtered  by  the  Huns 
in  order  to  conceal  his  tomb. 


QUEER    QUESTIOXS    AXD    READY    REPLIES.  169 

358.  Who  bought  the  first  United  States  postage 
stamps  ever  sold  ? 

The  first  postage  stamps  in  this  country  were  issued  in 
accordance  with  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  3, 
1847.  They  were  of  five  and  ten  cent  denominations,  and 
the  date  of  issue  was  appointed  as  July  1,  but  there  was  a 
delay  in  the  work  and  the  time  ran  over  a  montli.  On 
the  5lh  of  August,  the  Hon.  Henry  Shaw,  of  Lanesbor- 
ough,  Mass.,  the  father  of  the  late  well-known  Henry 
Shaw,  Jr.  ("Josh  Billings"),  called  to  see  Postmaster- 
General  Jolmson  on  business.  While  there  the  printer 
came  in  with  several  sheets  of  the  stamps.  Mr.  Johnson 
handed  them  to  his  visitor  to  inspect,  and  Mr.  Shaw 
bouglit  two  of  the  stamps,  —  the  first  two  ever  issued. 
The  five-cent  stamp  he  kept  as  a  curiosity,  and  the  ten- 
cent  stamp  he  presented  to  Gov.  Briggs,  of  Massachusetts. 

359.  Who  have  been  the  acting  Vice-Presidents  of 
the  United  States  during  the  several  vacancies  in  that 
oflfice? 

William  Harris  Crawfoid,  of  Georgia,  became  Vice- 
Prcsi'lent  on  the  deatli  of  George  Clinton,  April  20,  1812; 
and  after  the  death  of  Eibi-idge  Gerry,  Nov.  23,  1814, 
John  Gaillard,  of  South  Carolina,  served  as  Vice-President 
until  March  4,  1817.  After  the  resignation  of  John  C. 
Calhoun  from  that  office  on  Dec.  28,  1832,  it  was  held 
by  Hugh  Lawson  White,  of  Tennessee,  until  the  4th 
of  March,  1833.  Samuel  Lewis  Southard,  of  New  Jersey, 
and  Willie  Person  Mangum,  of  North  Carolina,  served 
as  Vice-Presidents  during  the  administration  of  Tyler; 
and  William   Rufus  King,  of    Alabama,  swerved  in    like 


160  QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES. 

capacity  duriug  Fillmore's  term.  During  the  administra- 
tion of  Frankim  Fierce,  David  R.  Atchison,  of  Missouri, 
and  Jesse  D.  Bright,  of  Indiana,  were  acting  Vice-Pres- 
idents. During  President  Johnson's  term,  Lafayette 
Sabine  Foster,  of  Connecticut,  and  Benjamin  Franklin 
Wade,  of  Ohio,  held  the  Vice-Presidency.  The  successor 
of  Henry  Wilson,  upon  his  death,  Nov.  22,  1S75,  was 
Thomas  W.  Ferry,  of  Michigan.  When  Vice-President 
Arthur  hecame  President,  his  successor  was  David  Davis, 
of  Illinois,  who  was  succeeded,  in  turn,  by  George  F. 
Edmunds,  of  Vermont.  After  the  death  of  Vice-President 
Hendricks,  the  Senate  chose  John  Sherman,  of  Ohio,  as 
his  successor. 

3G0.     Why  are  the  ' '  Hoosiers  "  so  called  ? 

The  term  "  Hoosiers,"  as  applied  to  the  citizens  of 
Indiana,  is  derived  either  from  husher,  a  term  synonymous 
throughout  the  West  with  bully  or  rough,  as  many  of  the 
early  settlers  were  bullies  and  men  of  great  physical 
strength,  or  from  the  rough  exclamation  of  these  people 
when  one  knocked  at  a  door,  ''  AVho  's  yere  V  " 

3G1,     A71iy  is  the  passion  flower  so  called? 

It  was  named  by  the  early  Spanish  settlers,  who  fancied 
it  to  be  a  representation  of  our  Lord's  passion. 

The  leaf  is  symbolic  of  the  spear  that  pierced  his  side. 

The  five  anthers,  the  marks  of  the  wounds. 

The  tendrils,  the  cords  or  whips. 

The  column  of  the  ovary,  the  upright  of  the  cross. 

The  stamens,  the  hammers. 

The  three  styles,  the  nails. 

The  filamentous  i^rocesses,  the  crown  of  thorns. 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     161 

The  calyx,  the  glory  or  halo. 
The  white  tint,  purity. 
The  blue  tint,  heaven. 

It  remains  open  for  three  days  and  typifies  his  three 
years'  ministry. 

362.  Which  is  the  "  Petrified  City  "  ? 

Ishmonie,  in  Upper  Egypt,  is  so  called  on  account  of  a 
great  number  of  statues  of  men,  women,  children,  and 
animals,  which  are  said  to  be  seen  there  at  this  day,  and 
which,  according  to  a  popular  superstition,  were  once 
animated  beings,  but  were  miraculously  changed  into 
stone  in  all  the  various  postures  and  attitudes  which  were 
assumed  by  them  at  the  instant  of  their  supposed  tran- 
Bubstantiation. 

363.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  phrase  "  That's 
a  feather  in  your  cap  "  ? 

"  A  feather  in  your  cap  "  is  a  mark  of  distinction.  It 
originates  with  the  wild  tribes  of  Asia  and  America,  who 
add  a  new  feather  to  their  head  dress  for  every  enemy 
slain.  A  Caufir  of  Cabul  adorns  himself  with  new 
feathers  for  every  Mussulman  killed  by  him.  The  custom 
was  a  common  one  among  the  Lycians  and  other  nations 
of  antiquity,  and,  in  fact,  in  one  form  or  another  seems  to 
be  almost  universal  at  the  present  time. 

364.  Why  is  the  Baldwin  apple  so  called? 

The  famous   Baldwin  apple  was  discovered  by  Col. 

Loammi  Baldwin  (1745-1807),  a  distinguished  citizen  of 

Woburn,  Mass.     While  surveying  land  in  Wilmington  (in 

the  same  State),  he  observed  a  tree  on  the  laud  of  James 

11 


162  QUEER   QUESTIOW8    AKD    RBADT   RIPLIM. 

Butters,  much  frequented  by  woodpeckers.  Curiosity  led 
him  to  examine  the  tree,  and  he  found  thereon  apples  of 
excellent  flavor.  The  next  spring  he  took  from  it  scions 
to  engraft  into  stocks  of  his  own.  Others  in  his  neighbor- 
hood did  the  same  till  the  apple  was  extensivel}'  cultivated. 
Some  named  the  apple  Butters'  apple,  from  the  locality  of 
the  origiual  tree;  others  called  it  Woodpecker's  apple, 
from  the  birds  which  caused  the  discovery;  but  one  day, 
at  an  entertainment  of  friends  at  the  house  of  Col.  Bald- 
win, it  was  suggested  that  the  name  "  Baldwin  apple,"  in 
honor  of  the  discoverer,  was  the  most  appropriate,  and  it 
has  since  been  known  by  his  name.  The  origiual  tree 
was  destroyed  by  the  famous  September  gale  in  1815. 

365.     Why  was  the  White  House  so  called? 

The  home  of  the  Presidents  was  named  in  honor  of  the 
White  House,  the  Virginia  home  of  Martha  Washington, 
in  New  Kent  County,  in  which  her  wedding  occurred. 
Washington  had  many  pleasant  memories  of  that  resi- 
dence, and  it  was  he  who  suggested  the  buililing  of  a 
"  White  House"  for  the  Presidents.  The  house  is  con- 
structed of  Virginia  freestone,  which  is  excessively 
porous,  and  consequently  would  be  very  damp  in  the  inte- 
rior, were  it  not  for  a  thick  coat  of  white  lead,  which  is 
applied  about  once  in  ten  years  at  a  great  expense. 

3G6.     "Who  was  the  first  woman  hung  in  the  United 

States  ? 

Mary  Dyer,  a  Quakeress.  On  the  27th  of  October, 
1659,  a  gallows  stood  on  Boston  Common,  and  three  con- 
demned Quakers,  William  Robinson,  Marmaduke  Steven- 
son ,  and  Mary  Dyer,  were  led  out  to  execution.    They  were 


QUEER  QCESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.      163 

accompanied  by  the  trainband,  and  drums  were  beat  to 
drown  their  testimony.  Tlie  town  was  put  under  guard 
of  thirty-six  soldiers  against  apprehended  trouble.  The 
woman  walked  between  her  two  companions,  holding  each 
of  them  by  a  hand.  The  marshal  asked  her,  "If  she  was 
not  ashamed  to  walk,  hand  in  hand,  between  two  young 
men  ?  "  She  replied,  "  It  is  an  hour  of  the  greatest  joy  I 
can  enjoy  in  this  world.  No  eye  can  see,  no  ear  can  hear, 
no  tongue  can  speak,  no  heart  can  understand,  the  sweet 
incomes  and  refreshings  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  which 
I  now  enjoy."  The  two  men  were  hung  and  buried 
beneath  the  gallows;  but  Mary  D3'er,  after  having  the 
noose  put  round  her  neck,  was  pardoned  and  sent  to 
Rhode  Island.  The  next  spring  she  returned.  On  the 
gallows  the  second  time,  June  1,  1660,  she  was  oflfered  her 
life  if  she  would  promise  to  keep  out  of  Massachusetts. 
Her  reply  was,  "  In  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Lord  I 
came;  and  in  his  will  I  abide  faithful  to  the  death."  She 
did  so. 

367.     AVho  are  the  "  Blue-Noses"? 

This  name  is  popularly  given  to  the  inhabitants  of  Nova 
Scotia  or  New  Brunswick.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been 
originally  applied  from  the  effect  upon  the  more  prominent 
parts  of  the  face  of  the  raw  easterly  winds  and  long-con- 
tinued fogs  which  prevail  in  these  provinces.  Others  say 
that  it  was  first  applied  to  a  particular  kind  of  potatoes 
which  were  extensively  produced  by  the  inhabitants,  and 
that  it  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  inhabitants  them- 
selves. Others  trace  its  origin  to  the  custom  among  cer- 
tain tribes  of  the  aborigines  of  painting  the  nose  blue  as  a 
punishment  for  a  crime  against  chastity. 


164     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

368.  Who  was  the  "  Handsome  Englishman  "? 

This  name  was  given  by  Turenne  to  the  celebrated 
John  Churchill,  Duke  of  Marlborough  (1650-1722),  who 
was  no  less  distinguished  for  the  singular  graces  of  his 
person,  than  for  his  brilliant  courage,  and  his  consummate 
ability  both  as  a  soldier  and  a  statesman. 

369.  What  great  general  was  fired  at  fifteen  times 
and  yet  escaped  unhurt? 

In  the  battle  of  Monongahela,  July  9,  1755,  an  Indian 
chief  with  his  braves  especially  singled  AVashington  out. 
Four  balls  passed  through  his  clothes  and  two  horses  were 
shot  under  him,  yet  he  was  not  harmed.  Fifteen  years 
later,  Washington  made  an  expedition  to  the  Western 
country  with  Dr.  Craik,  an  intimate  friend,  and  a  party 
of  woodsmen,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  wild  lands. 
While  near  the  junction  of  the  Great  Kanawha  and  Ohio 
Rivers,  the  old  Indian  chief  came  a  "long  way"  to  see 
the  man  at  whom  he  had  fired  a  ritle  fifteen  times  without 
hitting  him,  adding  that  "  he  was  then  persuaded  that  the 
youthful  hero  was  under  the  special  guardianship  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  immediately  ceased  to  fire  at  him."  He 
was  now  come  "  to  pay  homage  to  the  man,  who  was  the 
particular  favorite  of  Heaven,  and  who  could  never  die  in 
battle." 

370.  What  was  the  origin  of  "bigot"? 

This  word  is  of  uncertain  and  disputed  etymology. 
There  are  several  theories  of  its  origin. 

1.  That  it  was  first  applied  to  the  Normans  from  the 
oath  uttered  by  RoUo,  the  first  Duke  of  Normandy,  who 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  165 

was  obliged  to  kiss  the  foot  of  liis  father-in-law,  Charles 
the  Foolish,  in  return  for  the  province  of  Xeustria. 
When  told  by  his  companions  what  he  must  do,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Ne  se,  Bigot  "  (Xot  so,  by  God):  the  king  and 
the  court  mockingly  called  him  Bvjoth,  whence  the  Nor- 
mans were  called  Bigothi. 

2.  That  it  is  from  bigot,  an  old  Norman  word,  signify- 
ing as  much  as  De  par  dieu,  or  our  for  GocVs  sake,  and  sig- 
nifying a  hypocrite,  or  one  that  seemeth  much  more  holy 
than  he  is. 

3.  That  it  is  a  corruption  of  Yisigotha,  in  which  the 
fierce  and  intolerant  Arianism  of  the  Visigoth  conqueror 
of  Spain  is  handed  down  to  infamy.  The  woid  hiijos 
occurs  in  an  old  French  romance,  cited  by  Roquefort,  in 
the  sense  of  a  barbarous  people. 

4.  That  it  is  from  the  Low  Latin  Begictta,  one  of  the 
appellations  of  the  nuns  called  Beguines,  who,  without 
having  taken  monastic  vows,  were  united  for  purposes  of 
devotion  and  charity,  and  lived  together  in  houses  called 
heguinages. 

5.  That  it  is  derived  from  the  Italian  higotto,  or  high- 
iotto,  a  devotee,  a  hypocriie. 

6.  That  it  is  from  the  Spanish  higote,  a  whisker,  hom- 
hre  de  higote  being  a  man  of  spirit. 

371.     Who  was  the  "  Beautiful  Rope-maker  "  ? 

This  sobriquet  was  given  to  Louise  Labb  (1526-1566), 
a  French  poetess,  who  married  Ennemond  Perrin,  a  rope 
manufacturer.  She  wrote  in  three  difterent  languages. 
She  was  distingnished  for  her  extraordinary  courage  at  the 
siege  of  Perpiguan. 


166     QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES. 

372.  "What  was  the  origin  of  the  expression  "A 
Sardonic  smile  "  ? 

Some  derive  it  from  the  Greek  acaoEiv,  to  grin  like  a 
dog;  but  the  second  and  more  probable  derivation  is  that 
it  is  from  an  herb  growing  in  the  island  of  Sardinia 
(Greek  I^agdco)-  This  herb,  the  Ranunculus  sceleratus. 
has,  when  eaten,  a  contractile  power  on  the  muscles  vi 
the  body,  and  particularly  those  of  the  face,  so  that  those 
affected  by  it  seem  to  laugh.  It  was  an  old  belief  that 
those  who  eat  it  would  die  laughing,  hence  Homer  first, 
and  others  after  him,  call  laughter  wliich  conceals  some 
noxious  design  Sardonican.  This  same  plant  has  a  caustic 
power,  so  that  if  the  fresh-pulled  leaves  are  laid  on  the 
skin,  they  produce  pustules,  as  if  caused  by  fire. 

373.  Who  was  the  first  circumnavigator  of  the 
globe  ? 

Ferdinand  Magellan,  though  he  did  not  survive  to 
return  home  with  his  ship,  well  deserves  the  title  of  the 
"  first  circumnavigator."  He  discovered  the  strait,  which 
now  bears  his  name,  Oct.  20,  1520,  the  day  dedicated 
in  the  Catholic  calendar  to  .St.  Ursula  and  her  eleven 
thousand  virgins,  hence  he  called  it  "  The  Strait  of  the 
Eleven  Thousand  Virgins."  The  strait  was  passed  Nov. 
28;  and  though  he  had  not  quite  reached  the  Spice  Islands 
when  he  fell  in  conflict  with  the  people  of  the  isle  of  Ma- 
tan,  April  27,  1521,  his  task  was  virtually  accomplished,  as 
he  had  before  been  as  far  east  as  the  Spice  Islands.  The 
expedition,  reduced  from  five  ships  and  two  hundred  and 
thirty-=:ix  men  to  one  vessel  and  eighteen  men,  reached 
'"'an  Likar,  Spain,  Sept.  6, 1522,  after  an  absence  of  three 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND    READY   REPLIES.  167 

years  lacking  fourteen  days,  under  the  guidance  of  Juan 
Sebastian  del  Cano.  This  vessel,  the  Vitoria,  was  the  first 
to  make  the  circuit  of  the  globe.  As  a  reward  Cano  was 
ennobled  with  the  globe  on  his  coat-of-arms,  and  the  motto, 
"  Primus  circumdedisti  me." 

374.  Which  is  the  "  City  of  Oaks  "  ? 

This  name  has  been  given  to  Raleigh,  the  capital  of 
North  Carolina,  which  possesses  many  fine  streets  shaded 
with  native  oaks.  These  oaks  were  wisely  spared  during 
the  first  settlement,  and  have  since  attained  a  giant 
growth. 

375.  Why  was  Gen.  Grant  sometimes  called  "Un- 
conditional Surrender  "  Grant  ? 

The  origin  of  this  sobriquet  is  to  be  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing note:  — 

Headquakters,  Army  in  the  Field, 

Camp  Near  Donelson,  Feb.  16,  1862. 
Gen  S    B.  Buckker, 

Confederate  Army. 
Sir,  —  Yours   of    this  date  proposing    armistice,  and 
appointment  of  commissioners,  to  settle  terms  of  capitu- 
lation, is  just  received.     No  terms  except  an  unconditional 
and  immediate  surrender  can  be  accepted. 

I  propose  to  move  immediately  ui)on  3-our  works. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.   GRANT, 

Brig.  Gen, 


168  QUEER    QUESTIONS    AND    READY    REPLIES. 

Gen.  Buckner  surrendered  Fort  Donelson  and  fifteen 
thousand  men  the  same  day,  and  after  that  U.  S.  Grant  \v;;s 
often  said  to  signify  "  Unconditional  Surrender  "  Grant. 

376.  When,  where,  and  by  whom  was  the  first 
watch  made  ? 

"Watches  were  first  made  at  Nuremberg,  Germany,  in 
1477,  by  Peter  Hele,  a  cl  ck-niaker,  and  were  accounted 
"a  wonder  of  the  world."'  It  required  nearly  a  yeai's 
labor  to  produce  the  first  watch.  It  varied  nearly  an  hour 
a  day  from  the  true  time,  and  required  winding  twice  a 
day.  The  price  set  upon  it  and  its  fellows  by  the  inventor 
was  equal  to  SI, 500  in  gold  at  the  present  day.  It  was 
egg-shaped  and  about  the  size  of  a  goose  egg,  hence  it 
was  sometimes  called  the  "  Nuremberg  animated  egg." 
The  statement  made  by  some,  that  Robert,  king  of  Scot- 
land, had  a  watch  about  the  year  1310,  is  doubtless  errone- 
ous. The  invention  of  spring  watches  has  been  ascribed 
to  Dr.  Hooke,  and  by  some  to  Huygens,  about  1658;  the 
anchor  escai)ement  was  invented  by  Clement,  in  1680; 
the  horizoulal  watch  by  Graham,  in  1724;  the  repeating 
watch  by  Barlowe,  in  1G76;  and  Harrison  produced  his 
first  timepiece  in  1735. 

377.  What  famous  men  of  antiquity  were  killed  by 
lice? 

Lice  appear  to  have  been  a  great  plague  among  the 
ancients,  and  many  persons  suffered  from  the  disease  now 
known  as  Morbus  pediculosus,  or  Phthiriasis.  Among  the 
most  famous  persons  who  died  of  this  "  creeping  sick- 
ness "  were  Acast.  s,  the  son  of  Pclias,  Alcman  the  poet, 
Pherecydes  the  theologian,  Callisthenes  the  Olynthian, 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AND   READY   REPLIES.  169 

Mucius  the  lawyer,  Eunus  the  fugitive,  who  stirred  up 
the  slaves  of  Sicily  to  rebel  against  their  masters,  and 
Lucius  Cornelius  Sulla,  dictator  of  Kome,  although  the 
immediate  cause  of  the  latter's  death  was  the  bursting  of 
a  blood-vessel.  Plutarch  thus  describes,  in  substance,  the 
case  of  Sulla.  In  consequence  of  his  excesses,  his  cor- 
rupted flesh  at  length  broke  out  into  lice.  Many  were 
employed  day  and  night  in  destroying  them,  but  the  work 
so  multiplied  under  their  hands,  that  not  only  his  clothes, 
baths,  basins,  but  his  very  flesh  was  polluted  with  that  flux 
and  contagion,  they  came  swarming  out  in  such  numbers. 
He  went  frequently  by  day  into  the  bath  to  scour  and 
cleanse  his  body,  but  all  in  vain;  the  evil  generated  too 
rapidly  and  too  abundantly  for  any  ablutions  to  over- 
come it. 

378.  Who  was  the  "  American  Fabius  "  ? 

This  sobriquet  is  often  given  to  George  Washington, 
whose  military  policy  resembled  that  of  the  Roman  gen- 
eral Quintus  Fabius  Maximus  Verrucosus,  who  conducted 
operations  against  Hannibal  by  declining  to  risk  a  battle 
in  the  open  field,  harassing  him  by  marches,  counter- 
marches, and  ambuscades. 

379.  Who  were  the  "  Seven  against  Thebes  "? 

They  were  the  seven  leaders  of  an  expedition  designed 
to  place  Polynices  on  the  throne  of  Thebes,  from  whic  i 
he  had  been  driven  by  his  brother  Eteocles.  Their  nami> 
were  Adrastus,  Amphiaraus,  Capaneus,  Hippomedon 
(Argives),  Parthenopseus  (an  Arcadian),  Polynices  (;i 
Theban),  and  Tydeus  (an  ^olian).  The  expedition  wa- 
a  failure,  as  the  chiefs  were  arrogant  and  boastful,  and 


170  QUEEK   QUESTIONS   AND   READV   KKPLIES. 

despised  signs  sent  by  the  gods.  Adraslus,  "who  escaped 
by  the  swiftness  of  his  horse  Areion,  the  gift  of  Hercules, 
was  the  only  one  saved.  Ten  years  afterward,  a  second 
expedition,  conducted  by  their  more  pious  sons,  the 
Epigoni,  Avho  acted  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  heaven, 
was  crowned  with  success. 

380.  Who  was  the  "  Sage  of  Monticello"? 

Thomas  Jefferson  (174.3-1826),  third  President  of  the 
United  states,  was  often  so  called  from  the  name  of  his 
country  seat  in  Virginia,  and  in  allusion  to  his  wise  states- 
manship and  great  political  sagacity. 

381.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  term  "Johnnies," 
as  applied  to  the  Confederate  soldiers  during  the  late 
Rebellion  ? 

This  term  Johnnies,  or  Johnny  Rebs,  is  said  to  have 
originated  in  a  taunting  remark  addressed  to  a  rebel 
picket,  to  the  eifect  that  the  Southern  States  relied  on 
"  John  Bull ''  to  help  them  gain  their  independence, 
and  that  the  picket  himself  was  no  better  than  a  "  John 
Bul>";  an  accusation  which  he  indignantly  denied,  saying 
that  he  would  "  as  soon  be  called  a  '  nigger  '  as  a  '  Johnnv 
Bull.'" 

382.  What  was  the  ''  Day  of  Corn-sacks  "? 

The  3d  of  January,  1591,  is  so  called,  in  French  history, 
from  an  attempt  made  by  Henry  IV.  to  surprise  Paris  on 
that  day.  Some  of  his  officers,  disguised  as  corn  dealers, 
with  sacks  on  their  shoulders,  endeavored  to  get  possession 
of  the  gate  St.  Honore;  but  they  were  recognized,  and 
obliged  to  make  a  hasty  retreat. 


<iUBSR   ^iUESTIONS    AND    READY    KEPLIB8.  171 

383.  Who  we'-e  tb^  "  Copperheads"? 

This  popular  iiickriap-.e  originated  in  the  time  of  the 
late  Rebellion,  and  was  applied  to  a  faction  in  the  North, 
which  was  very  generally  coui^idercd  to  be  in  secret  sym- 
pathy with  the  Rebellion,  and  to  give  it  aid  and  comfort 
by  attetni)ting  to  thwart  the  measures  of  the  government. 
The  name  is  derived  from  a  poisonous  serpent,  called  the 
copperhead  (Tfigonocephalus  contortrix),  whose  bite  is 
considered  as  deadly  as  that  of  the  rattlesnake  and  whose 
geographical  range  extends  from  forty-five  degrees  north 
to  Florida.  The  copperhead,  unlike  the  rattlesnake,  gives 
no  warning  of  its  attack,  and  is,  therefore,  the  type  of  a 
concealed  foe. 

384.  What  was  '^  Symnes'  Hole  "  ? 

An  enormous  opening  imagined  by  Capt.  John  Cleve 
Symnes  (1780-1829),  a  visionary  American  theorizer,  to 
exist  in  the  crust  of  the  earth  at  eighty-two  degrees  north. 
Through  this  opening,  he  thought  a  descent  might  be 
made  into  tlie  interior  of  the  globe,  which  he  supposed  to 
be  peopled  with  plants  and  animals,  and  to  be  lighted  by  two 
small  subterranean  planets,  named  Pluto  and  Proserpine, 
which  diffused  a  mild  radiance. 

385.  Who  is  the  "  Quaker  Poet "  ? 

This  name  is  often  given  to  John  Greenleaf  Whittier, 
a  noted  American  poet,  who  was  born  of  Quaker  parent- 
age and  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

The  name  was  also  given  to  Bernard  Barton  (1784- 
1840),  an  English  poet  of  some  no  e,  and  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  His  poems  fill  eight  or  nine  volumes, 
the  "  Household  Verses  "  being  among  his  best  produc- 
tions 


172        '  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY  REPLIES. 

386.  Who  was  the  "  Newton  of  Antiquity  "  ? 

This  title  has  been  given  to  Hipparchus,  who  flourished 
in  the  second  century  B.  C.  He  was  the  most  celebrated 
of  the  Greek  astronomers.  He  calculated  the  length  of 
the  year  to  within  six  minutes,  discovered  the  precession 
of  the  equinoxes,  and  made  the  first  catalogue  of  the 
stars,  1081  in  number. 

387.  What  are  the  eight  motions  of  the  earth? 

1.  Diurnal  rotation  on  its  axis. 

2.  Annual  revolution  in  its  orbit. 

3.  Precession  of  the  equinoxes,  which  requires  25,816 
years  for  the  equinoctial  points  to  make  a  complete  revo- 
lution of  the  ecliptic. 

4.  Change  of  perihelion.  In  the  year  4089  B.  C.  the 
earth  was  in  perihelion  at  the  autumnal  equinox.  It  is 
now  in  perihelion  on  the  1st  of  January.  In  the  year 
17267  A,  D.,  the  long  cycle  of  21,356  years  will  be  com- 
pleted, and  for  the  first  time  since  the  ci'eation  of  man 
the  autumnal  equinox  will  coincide  with  the  earth's  peri- 
helion. 

5.  Change  in  the  obliquity  of  the  ecliptic.  The  orbit 
of  the  earth  vibrates  backward  and  forward,  each  oscilla- 
tion requiring  a  period  of  about  10,000  years. 

6.  Nutation  caused  by  the  moon.  This  movement 
requires  eighteen  and  three  fourths  years  for  completing 
a  revolution. 

7.  Planetary  perturbations. 

8.  Translation  through  space,  the  greatest  of  all. 

388.  Which   is   the   floral   emblem   of    the   United 

States  ? 


QUEER  QUESTIONS  AND  READY  REPLIES.     173 

The  violet  is  the  national  emblematic  flower  of  our 
country.  Perhaps  it  is  symbolic  of  the  native  modesty  of 
Americans. 

389.  Who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  America  ? 

The  first  of  which  we  have  any  record  was  Snorre 
Thorfinnsox,  who  was  born  at  Straumfjord  (Buzzard's 
Bay),  in  the  present  State  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  year 
1008.  He  was  the  son  of  Thorfinn  Karlsefne  and  his 
wife  Gudrid.  From  him  the  famous  sculptor,  Albert 
Thorwaldsen,  is  lineally  descended,  besides  a  long  train 
of  learned  and  distinguished  men,  who  have  flourished 
during  the  last  eight  centuries  in  Iceland  and  Denmark. 

390.  What  king  wrote  an  essay  against  tobacco? 

King  James  I.,  of  England,  issued  in  1616  a  Counter- 
hlaste  to  Tobacco,  in  which  he  describes  its  use  as  "  a  cus- 
tom loathsome  to  the  eye,  hateful  to  the  nose,  harmful  to 
the  brain,  dangerous  to  the  lungs,  and  in  the  black,  stink- 
ing fume  thereof  nearest  resembling  the  horrible  Stygian 
smoke  of  the  pit  that  is  bottomless." 

391.  What  metals  are  valued  at  over  $1,000  a 
pound  ? 

Vanadium,  —  a  white  metal  discovered  in  1830,  is  valued 

at  $10,000  an  avoirdupois  pound. 

Rubidium, —  an  alkaline  metal,  so  called  from  exhibiting 
dark  red  lines  in  the  spectrum  analysis,  S9,070. 

Zirconium,  —  a  metal  obtained  from  the  mineral  zircon 
and  hyacinth,  in  the  form  of  a  black  powder,  $7,200. 

Lithium,  —  an  alkaline  metal,  the  lightest  metal  known, 
S7,000. 


174  QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

Glucinum,  —  a  metal  in  the  form  of  a  grayish-black 
powder,  $5,400. 

Calcium,  —  The  metallic  base  of  lime,  $4,500. 

Strontium,  —  a  malleable  metal  of  a  yellowish  color, 
$4,200. 

Terbium,  —  obtained  from  the  mineral  gadolinte,  found 
in  Sweden,  $4,080. 

Yttrium, — discovered  in  1828,  is  of  a  grayish-black 
color,  and  its  lustre  perfectly  metallic,  $4,080. 

Erbium, — a  metal  found  associated  with  yttrium,  $3,400. 

Cerium,  —  a  metal  of  high  specific  gravity,  a  grayish- 
white  color,  and  a  lamellar  texture,  $3,400. 

Didymium, — a  metal  found  associated  with  cerium, 
$3,200. 

Ruthenium,  —  of  a  gray  color,  very  hard  and  brittle  ; 
extracted  from  the  ores  of  platinum,  $2,400. 

Kiobium,  —  previously  named  columbium,  first  discov- 
ered in  an  ore  found  at  New  London,  Conn.,  $2,300. 

Rhodium,  —  of  a  white  color  and  metallic  lustre,  and 
extremely  hard  and  brittle.  It  requires  the  strongest  heat 
that  can  be  produced  by  a  wind  furnace  for  its  fusion, 
$2,200. 

Barium,  —  the  metallic  base  of  baryta,  $1,800. 

Palladium, — a  metal  discovered  in  1803,  and  found  in 
very  small  grains,  of  a  steel-gray  color  and  fibrous  struc- 
ture, $1,400. 

Osmium, — a  brittle,  gray-colored  metal,  found  with 
platinum,  the  most  infusible  of  known  metals,  $1,300. 

Iridium,  —  found  native  as  an  alloy,  with  osmium,  in 
lead-gray  scales,  $1,000. 

302.     Wliich  is  the  "  Granite  Citv  "  ? 


QUEER   QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES.  176 

Aberdeen,  Scotland,  is  so  called,  because  the  material 
employed  in  its  buildings  consists  chiefly  of  light  gray  na- 
tive granite.  This  granite  has  been  quarried  near  this 
city  for  over  three  hundred  years. 

393.  Where  is  the  '-Gate  of  Tears" ? 
Bab-el-Mandeb   (i.  e.,  the  "Gate   of  Tears")   is  the 

strait  which  connects  the  lied  vSea  with  the  Indian  Ocean. 
It  derives  its  name  from  the  dangers  attending  its  navi- 
gation, or  according  to  an  Arabic  legend,  from  tlie  num- 
bers who  were  drowned  by  the  earthquake  which  separated 
Asia  and  Africa. 

394.  What  philosopher  thought  the  sun  was  a  huge 
fiery  stone  ? 

Anaxagoras  (500-428  B.  C.)  taught  that  the  heavens 
consisted  of  a  solid  vault  of  stones,  elevated  above  the 
earth  by  the  surrounding  ether,  and  that  the  sun  was  a 
huge  fierj''  stone  about  the  size  of  the  Morea,  the  southern 
part  of  Greece.  For  this  theory  he  suffered  banishment, 
as  the  Greeks  thought  it  impious  thus  to  rob  the  sun, 
which  they  believed  to  be  Apollo,  of  his  divinity. 

895.     Who  was  Zopyrus? 

This  distinguished  Persian,  noted  for  his  remarkable 
i'  stratagem,  was  the  general  of  Darius  Hystaspis.  After 
■  his  master  had  besieged  Babylon,  which  had  revolted  from 
;  him  for  twenty  months  in  vain,  Zopyrus  resolved  to  gahi 
;  the  place  by  the  most  extraordinary  self-sacrifice.  Ac- 
cordingly, one  day  he  appeared  before  Darius,  with  his 
.  body  mutilated  in  the  most  horrible  manner  ;  both  lii^ 
'.  ears  and  his  nose  were  cut  off,  and  his  person  otherwise 


176  QUEER  QUESTIONS   AND   READY   REPLIES. 

disfigured.  After  explaining  to  Darius  his  intentions,  he 
fled  to  Babylon  as  a  victim  of  the  cruelty  of  the  Persian 
king.  The  Babylonians  gave  him  their  confidence,  and 
placed  him  at  the  head  of  their  troops.  He  soon  found 
means  to  betray  the  city  to  Darius,  who  severely  punished 
the  inhabitants  for  their  revolt,  and  appointed  Zopyrus 
satrap  of  Babylon  for  life,  with  the  enjoyment  of  its  en- 
tire revenues. 

396.  How  did  the  swallow  obtain  its  name? 

According  to  Scandinavian  tradition,  this  bird  hovered 
over  the  cross  of  our  Lord,  crying  "Nt"aZ«/  svala!^^ 
("console  !  console  I '')  whence  it  was  called  svalow^  the 
bird  of  consolation. 

There  is  a  curious  story  that  this  bird  brings  home  from 
the  sea-shore  a  stone  that  gives  sight  to  her  fledglings. 

"  Seeking  -with  eager  eyes  that  wondrous  stone  which  the  swallow 
Brings  from  the  shore  of  the  sea  to  restore  the  sight  of   its 
fledglings." 

LONQFELLOW'S    EvANGELINB. 

397.  Who  was  the  "  Sailor  King  "  ? 

William  TV.  of  England  was  so  called,  because  he  en- 
tered the  navy  in  1779,  at  fourteen  3-cars  of  age,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  service  till  1827.  He  passed  from  the  rank 
of  a  midshipman  to  that  of  a  captain  by  regular  promo- 
tion. In  1801  he  was  made  admiral  of  the  fleet,  and  in 
1827,  lord  high  admiral. 

398.  What  became  of  the  chains  of  Columbus? 
Columbus  was  carried  home  in  chains  from  his  third 

voyage.  Alonzo  de  Villejo,  captain  of  the  caravel  in 
which  the  illustrious  prisoner  sailed,  would  have  removed 


QUEER   QUESTIONS    AXD    READY   REPLIES.  177 

the  fetters  ;  but  Columbus  would  not  cousent  to  this.  He 
would  wear  them,  he  said,  until  their  Eoyal  Highnesses, 
by  whose  orders  the}^  had  been  affixed,  should  order  their 
removal ;  and  he  would  keep  them  ever  afterward  "  as 
relics  and  as  memorials  of  the  reward  of  his  services." 
According  to  his  sou  Fernando,  he  always  kept  them 
hanging  in  his  cabinet,  and  he  requested  that  when  he 
died  they  might  be  buried  with  him. 

399.  Which  is  the  Samian  letter? 

The  letter  Y.  It  was  so  called  because  its  Greek  origi, 
nal  was  used  by  Pythagoras,  the  philosopher  of  Samos- 
as  an  emljlem  of  the  straight,  narrow  path  of  virtue, 
which  is  one,  but  if  once  deviated  from,  the  farther  the 
lines  are  extended  the  wider  becomes  the  breach. 

"  When  reasorr,  doubtful,  like  the  Samian  letter, 
Points  him  two  ways,  the  narrower,  the  better." 

Pope's  Dunciad. 

The  same  letter  was  also  used  to  represent  the  sacred 
triad,  formed  by  the  duad  proceeding  from  the  monad.  It 
is  sometimes  called  the  Pythagorean  letter. 

400.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  term  "'Mugwump"  ? 

This  was  a  word  borrowed  from  the  Indians  by  the 
New  England  pioneers.  It  meant  "chief,"  "head  of 
all,"  in  the  Indian  tongue;  and  was  used  by  the  pioneers 
humorously,  much  as  a  person  does  "Big  Injun"  when 
he  intends  to  be  jocose. 

Finis. 


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